Gas-phase cyclobutyl radical (CH) is produced via pyrolysis of cyclobutylmethyl nitrite (CH(CH)ONO). Other CH radicals, such as 1-methylallyl and allylcarbinyl, are similarly produced from nitrite precursors. Nascent radicals are promptly solvated in liquid He droplets, allowing for the acquisition of infrared spectra in the CH stretching region. For the cyclobutyl and 1-methylallyl radicals, anharmonic frequencies are predicted by VPT2+K simulations based upon a hybrid CCSD(T) force field with quadratic (cubic and quartic) force constants computed using the ANO1 (ANO0) basis set. A density functional theoretical method is used to compute the force field for the allylcarbinyl radical. For all CH radicals, resonance polyads in the 2800-3000 cm region appear as a result of anharmonic coupling between the CH stretching fundamentals and CH bend overtones and combinations. Upon pyrolysis of the cyclobutylmethyl nitrite precursor to produce the cyclobutyl radical, an approximately 2-fold increase in the source temperature leads to the appearance of spectral signatures that can be assigned to 1-methylallyl and 1,3-butadiene. On the basis of a previously reported CH potential energy surface, this result is interpreted as evidence for the unimolecular decomposition of the cyclobutyl radical via ring opening, prior to it being captured by helium droplets. On the CH potential surface, 1,3-butadiene is formed from cyclobutyl ring opening and H atom loss, and the 1-methylallyl radical is the most energetically stable intermediate along the decomposition pathway. The allylcarbinyl radical is a higher-energy CH intermediate along the ring-opening path, and the spectral signatures of this radical are not observed under the same conditions that produce 1-methylallyl and 1,3-butadiene from the unimolecular decomposition of cyclobutyl.

Fulvenallene is the global minimum on the C7H6 potential energy surface. Rearrangement of fulvenallene to other C7H6 species and dissociation to produce fulvenallenyl radical (C7H5) is carried out in a continuous-wave SiC pyrolysis furnace at 1500 K. Prompt pick-up and solvation by helium droplets allows for the acquisition of vibrational spectra of these species in the CH stretching region. Anharmonic frequencies for fulvenallene, fulvenallenyl, and three isomers of ethynylcyclopentadiene are computed ab initio; VPT2+K spectral simulations are based on hybrid CCSD­(T) force fields with quadratic (cubic and quartic) force constants computed using the ANO1 (ANO0) basis set. The acetylenic CH stretch of the fulvenallenyl radical is a sensitive marker of the extent by which the unpaired electron is delocalized throughout the conjugated propargyl and cyclopentadienyl subunits. The nature of this electron delocalization is explored with spin density calculations at the ROHF-CCSD­(T)/ANO1 level of theory. Atomic partitioning of the spin density allows for a description of the fulvenallenyl radical in terms of two resonance structures: fulvenallenyl is approximately 24% allenic and 76% acetylenic.

In undergraduate thermodynamics, entropy is one of the most misunderstood topics; in part, this is due to its abstract nature, but confusion also stems from using a definition based on "order" or lack thereof. Students can understand this definition easily, especially if it is related to the state of a messy room over the course of time. When asked about the entropy of a molecular system, however, students have difficulty translating their definition based on "order" to a new context. An activity was created and implemented in an undergraduate physical chemistry course to guide students through alternate definitions of entropy. The activity combines thermodynamic calculations, entropy, and current spectroscopic research a together with concepts covered in class to give students a complete picture of this topic. In this talk, the activity and its implementation will be discussed along with preliminary outcomes.