Study on the Product Formation of the Reaction between Criegee Compound and Propargyl Radical

Mechanism of the reaction between Criegee compound (CH2OO) and Propargyl radical (C3H3) has been studied by using the density functional theory DFT/M06-2X in conjunction with the 6-311++G(3df,2p) basis set for both optimization and single-point energy calculations. The calculated results indicate that mechanism of the C3H3 + CH2OO reaction can occur in two different directions: H-atom abstraction and/or addition. As a result, 11 various products have been created from this reaction; in which, P10 (OCHCHCHCHO + H) is the most thermodynamically stable product and the reaction path leading to the P7 (CH2-[cyc-CCHCHOO] + H) product is the most energetically and kinetically favorable channel.

Study the Mechanism of Formation of Different Products of the Reaction Between Propargyl and Methyl Radicals

The mechanism of the reaction between propargyl radical (C3H3) and methyl radical (CH3) has been studied by the quantum chemical method using the M06-2X functional in conjunction with the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. The potential energy surface (PES) for the C3H3 + CH3 system has been established. The calculated results indicate that the C3H3 + CH3 reaction has two main entrance channels leading to two stabilized intermediates, buta-1,2-diene and but-1-yne, which become the major intermediate products of the reaction system. From these two intermediate states, 19 different bimolecular products can be formed. For which, C2H2 + C2H4 is the most thermodynamically favorable product.

Gas-phase synthesis of benzene via the propargyl radical self-reaction

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been invoked in fundamental molecular mass growth processes in our galaxy. We provide compelling evidence of the formation of the very first ringed aromatic and building block of PAHs—benzene—via the self-recombination of two resonantly stabilized propargyl (C3H3) radicals in dilute environments using isomer-selective synchrotron-based mass spectrometry coupled to theoretical calculations. Along with benzene, three other structural isomers (1,5-hexadiyne, fulvene, and 2-ethynyl-1,3-butadiene) and o-benzyne are detected, and their branching ratios are quantified experimentally and verified with the aid of computational fluid dynamics and kinetic simulations. These results uncover molecular growth pathways not only in interstellar, circumstellar, and solar systems environments but also in combustion systems, which help us gain a better understanding of the hydrocarbon chemistry of our universe.