Low temperature formation of naphthalene and its role in the synthesis of PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) in the interstellar medium

Classical transition-state theory is fundamental to describing chemical kinetics; however, quantum tunneling is also important in explaining the unexpectedly large reaction efficiencies observed in many chemical systems. Tunneling is often indicated by anomalously large kinetic isotope effects (KIEs), because a particle's ability to tunnel decreases significantly with its increasing mass. Here we experimentally demonstrate that cold hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) atoms can add to solid benzene by tunneling; however, the observed H/D KIE was very small (1-1.5) despite the large intrinsic H/D KIE of tunneling (≳100). This strong reduction is due to the chemical kinetics being controlled not by tunneling but by the surface diffusion of the H/D atoms, a process not greatly affected by the isotope type. Because tunneling need not be accompanied by a large KIE in surface and interfacial chemical systems, it might be overlooked in other systems such as aerosols or enzymes. Our results suggest that surface tunneling reactions on interstellar dust may contribute to the deuteration of interstellar aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, which could represent a major source of the deuterium enrichment observed in carbonaceous meteorites and interplanetary dust particles. These findings could improve our understanding of interstellar physicochemical processes, including those during the formation of the solar system. quantum tunneling | kinetic isotope effect | heterogeneous reactions | reaction dynamics | astrochemistry

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum tunneling observed without its characteristic large kinetic isotope effects

Hama

Ueta

Kouchi

et al. 2015

“…PAHs are also believed to be abundant in the interstellar medium (6) and may be carriers of the anomalous IR emission bands (7)(8)(9). Recent molecular beam studies indicate that PAH growth can proceed through cold collisions of smaller hydrocarbons under interstellar conditions (10,11). Individual PAH molecules can subsequently provide nucleation sites for amorphous graphitic grains (9).…”

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confidence: 99%

Isomer-specific vibronic structure of the 9-, 1-, and 2-anthracenyl radicals via slow photoelectron velocity-map imaging

Weichman

DeVine

Levine

et al. 2016

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in various charge and protonation states, are key compounds relevant to combustion chemistry and astrochemistry. Here, we probe the vibrational and electronic spectroscopy of gas-phase 9-, 1-, and 2-anthracenyl radicals (C 14 H 9 ) by photodetachment of the corresponding cryogenically cooled anions via slow photoelectron velocity-map imaging (cryo-SEVI). The use of a newly designed velocity-map imaging lens in combination with ion cooling yields photoelectron spectra with <2 cm −1 resolution. Isomer selection of the anions is achieved using gasphase synthesis techniques, resulting in observation and interpretation of detailed vibronic structure of the ground and lowest excited states for the three anthracenyl radical isomers. The groundstate bands yield electron affinities and vibrational frequencies for several Franck-Condon active modes of the 9-, 1-, and 2-anthracenyl radicals; term energies of the first excited states of these species are also measured. Spectra are interpreted through comparison with ab initio quantum chemistry calculations, Franck-Condon simulations, and calculations of threshold photodetachment cross sections and anisotropies. Experimental measures of the subtle differences in energetics and relative stabilities of these radical isomers are of interest from the perspective of fundamental physical organic chemistry and aid in understanding their behavior and reactivity in interstellar and combustion environments. Additionally, spectroscopic characterization of these species in the laboratory is essential for their potential identification in astrochemical data.polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | anion photoelectron spectroscopy | velocity-map imaging | vibronic structure P olycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important class of species in many areas of chemistry. They are major components in coal (1) and in soot formed from combustion of organic matter (2, 3). PAHs are therefore common environmental pollutants and have well-documented mutagenic and carcinogenic biological activity (4, 5). PAHs are also believed to be abundant in the interstellar medium (6) and may be carriers of the anomalous IR emission bands (7-9). Recent molecular beam studies indicate that PAH growth can proceed through cold collisions of smaller hydrocarbons under interstellar conditions (10, 11). Individual PAH molecules can subsequently provide nucleation sites for amorphous graphitic grains (9). Interstellar PAHs and their clusters therefore bridge the gap between small carbonaceous molecules and larger particles, analogous to their role in soot condensation in combustion environments (12).In space, PAH species are likely to exist as an equilibrium of neutral and ionic charge states, with varying degrees of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation (13-15). Models of dense interstellar clouds find that anionic PAHs are the major carriers of negative charge, rather than free electrons (16). Closed-shell, singly deprotonated PAH carbanions have large electron affinities compared with ...

“…Recently, ion polymerization from clusters has also been suggested as a pathway for PAH generation (14,15). Several studies have focused on the formation of naphthalene, suggesting it forms via reaction of the phenyl radical with vinylacetylene (16). In addition, the formation of the naphthalene cation from ion-molecule reactions such as the benzene cation and the ethynyl radical has been examined (17).…”

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confidence: 99%

Ab initio dynamics and photoionization mass spectrometry reveal ion–molecule pathways from ionized acetylene clusters to benzene cation

Stein

Bandyopadhyay

Troy

et al. 2017

The growth mechanism of hydrocarbons in ionizing environments, such as the interstellar medium (ISM), and some combustion conditions remains incompletely understood. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and molecular beam vacuum-UV (VUV) photoionization mass spectrometry experiments were performed to understand the ion-molecule growth mechanism of small acetylene clusters (up to hexamers). A dramatic dependence of product distribution on the ionization conditions is demonstrated experimentally and understood from simulations. The products change from reactive fragmentation products in a higher temperature, higher density gas regime toward a very cold collision-free cluster regime that is dominated by products whose empirical formula is (C 2 H 2 ) n + , just like ionized acetylene clusters. The fragmentation products result from reactive ionmolecule collisions in a comparatively higher pressure and temperature regime followed by unimolecular decomposition. The isolated ionized clusters display rich dynamics that contain bonded C 4 H 4 + and C 6 H 6 + structures solvated with one or more neutral acetylene molecules. Such species contain large amounts (>2 eV) of excess internal energy. The role of the solvent acetylene molecules is to affect the barrier crossing dynamics in the potential energy surface (PES) between (C 2 H 2 ) n + isomers and provide evaporative cooling to dissipate the excess internal energy and stabilize products including the aromatic ring of the benzene cation. Formation of the benzene cation is demonstrated in AIMD simulations of acetylene clusters with n > 3, as well as other metastable C 6 H 6 + isomers. These results suggest a path for aromatic ring formation in cold acetylene-rich environments such as parts of the ISM.ion-molecule reactions | polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | molecular dynamics | quantum chemistry | photoionization mass spectrometry