Dynamical importance of van der Waals saddle and excited potential surface in C(1D)+D2 complex-forming reaction

Zhitao Shen, Haitao Ma, Chunfang Zhang, Mingkai Fu, Yanan Wu, Wensheng Bian () and Jianwei Cao ()
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Zhitao Shen: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haitao Ma: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chunfang Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mingkai Fu: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yanan Wu: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wensheng Bian: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jianwei Cao: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Encouraged by recent advances in revealing significant effects of van der Waals wells on reaction dynamics, many people assume that van der Waals wells are inevitable in chemical reactions. Here we find that the weak long-range forces cause van der Waals saddles in the prototypical C(1D)+D2 complex-forming reaction that have very different dynamical effects from van der Waals wells at low collision energies. Accurate quantum dynamics calculations on our highly accurate ab initio potential energy surfaces with van der Waals saddles yield cross-sections in close agreement with crossed-beam experiments, whereas the same calculations on an earlier surface with van der Waals wells produce much smaller cross-sections at low energies. Further trajectory calculations reveal that the van der Waals saddle leads to a torsion then sideways insertion reaction mechanism, whereas the well suppresses reactivity. Quantum diffraction oscillations and sharp resonances are also predicted based on our ground- and excited-state potential energy surfaces.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14094

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