Mechanisms of the reactions of W and W+ with NOx (x = 1, 2): A computational study

Hsin Tsung Chen, Djamaladdin G. Musaev*, Stephan Irle, Ming-Chang Lin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The mechanisms of the reactions of W and W+ with NOx (x = 1, 2) were studied at the CCSD(T)/[SDD+6-311G(d)]//B3LYP/[SDD+6-31G(d)] level of theory. It was shown that the insertion pathway of the reaction W( 7S) + NO2(2A1) is a multistate process, which involves several lower lying electronic states of numerous intermediates and transition states, and leads to oxidation, WO( 3Σ) + NO(2Π), and/or nitration, WN( 4Σ) + O2(3Σg -), of the W-center. Oxidation products WO(3Σ) + NO(2Π) lie 87.6 kcal/mol below the reactants, while the nitration channel is only 31.0 kcal/mol exothermic. Furthermore, it was shown that nitration of W with NO2 is kinetically less favorable than its oxidation. The addition-dissociation pathway of the reaction W(7S) + NO2(2A1) proceeds via the octet (ground) state potential energy surface of the reaction, requires 3.3 kcal/mol barrier, and leads exclusively to oxidation products. Calculations show that oxidation of the W+ cation by NO2 is a barrierless process in the gas phase, proceeds exclusively via the insertion pathway, and is exothermic by 82.9 kcal/mol. The nitration of W+ by NO2 is only 14.1 kcal/mol exothermic and could be accessible only under high-temperature conditions. Reactions of M = W/W+ with NO are also barrierless processes in the gas phase and lead to the N-O insertion product NMO, which are 105.4 and 77.4 kcal/mol lower than the reactants for W and W+, respectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)982-991
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry A
Volume111
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 8 Feb 2007

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