The ChemNet computer program designed for mechanistic studies of or~nic reactions occurring in solutions of metal complexes and on the sudb.ce of heterogeneous catalysts is proposed. The use of the program is illustrated by applications to catalyzed homogeneous hydrocarboxylation and hydrotbrmylation of ethylene and heterogeneous bydrogenolysis of ethane.Key words: reaction mechanisms, application of computers, ChemNet program, ethane hydrogenolysis, ethylene hydrocarboxylation, ethylene hydroformylation, organometallic catalysis Our recent studies on reaction mechanisms are based on the following three ideas: ( 1 ) any hypothetical mechanism cannot be proven but can only be rejected; (2) consideration of many hypothetical mechanisms for each particular reaction leads to more reliable reaction mechanisms and kinetic models based on them while lowering time and expenses for experimental studies: (3) hypothetical mechanisms can be proposed most efficiently using computer programs, which help the researcher (but do not replace him!). Computer programs permit the formulation and protocol of the initial data that are used to advance the hypotheses. A set of hypothetical mechanisms obtained using computer programs is complete within the specified set of constraints. Various aspects of this methodology t-t2 and related computer software 6,8-t2 have been considered in our publications. Some philosophical problems faced by a researcher in studies of reaction mechanisms were noted in a popular monograph,t3 while some methodological aspects were described in a textbook, t4. This paper is devoted to the computer program ChemNet, which we developed and used to study the mechanisms of catalytic reactions. 6,8 In a recent publication t5 we demonstrated that several programs can be used together to advance mechanistic hypotheses on reaction mechanisms. In particular, one program (ChemNet) was used to generate a reaction network (a set of elementary steps allowed by the given constraints),, and another program (MECHEM) was employed to find the simplest mechanisms. The elementary steps tbund at the first stage served as input for MECHEM. In an experimental study ofoxidative carbonylation of phenylacetylenecatalyzed by Pd I1 and Cu I complexes 12,16,17PhC-=CH + CO + MeOH + 2 NaOAc + 2 CuCl 2 --~ PhC-=CCOOMe + 2 AcOH + 2 NaCI + 2 CuCI, we proposed, with the assistance of a computer, 41 hypothetical mechanisms. Using these mechanisms, we were able to design a target-directed experiment based on the measurement of the kinetic isotope effect. Of the 41 mechanisms, 32 were rejected based on this experimentlZ,16; we intended to veri~" the remaining mechanisms by other methods.No publications devoted to the ChemNet program proper are available. The changes introduced recently into the program stimulated us to write this paper.
Description of the ChemNet programThe program uses initial data of three types, namely, starting compounds, transforms, and constraints. The program cannot run without any of these elements. The starting compounds a...