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MN 55455443 1, USAIn variational transition-state theory (VTST) and semiclassical tunnelling calculations, especially those with semiempirical potential-energy surfaces, it is sometimes desirable to match the classical energies and vibration frequencies of some points ( e g . the reactant, saddle point, product, van der Waals complex, ion-molecule complex) along the minimum-energy path (MEP) and in the reaction swath with high-level results, as this can improve the accuracy. This can be accomplished by adding a correction function to the calculated energies or frequencies. In this paper, we introduce a three-point or zero-order interpolated correction method which is based on the correction at three points, in particular the saddle point and two stationary points, one on each side of the MEP. We use the corrections at these points to build a correction function for the classical energy and for each vibrational mode frequency along the MEP. The function is calibrated such that the corrected result matches the accurate values at these stationary points. The functional forms to be used depend on the shape of the MEP under consideration and the relative correction values at those points. Similar treatments are applied to the determinant of the moment of inertia tensor along the reaction path and to the potential-energy function in non-adiabatic regions of corner-cutting tunnelling paths. Once parameters in the functional forms are determined, we then use the corrected energy, frequency and moments of inertia information together with other MEP and reaction swath data, as obtained directly from the potential-energy surface, to perform new VTST calculations. Details of the implementation are presented, and applications to reaction rate calculations of the OH + CH, -+ H, O + CH, and CF, + CD, H --+ CF, H + CD, reactions are included.

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We present calculations of the rate constants and secondary kinetic isotope effects for the gas-phase SN2 reaction Cl−(H2O)+CH3Cl based on a new chloride–water potential-energy function that has been specifically converged for heavy-water isotope effects. The results are compared to new calculations employing five chloride–water potential-energy functions that have been developed for simulations of aqueous solutions. In all calculations the ClCH3Cl− solute intramolecular potential is taken from a previous semiglobal fit to ab initio calculations including electron correlation. We also examine two different intramolecular water potentials, and we examine the effect of treating the CH3 internal rotation at the ClCH3Cl−(H2O) transition state as a hindered rotation. Both the CH3/CD3 (α-deuterium) and H2O/D2O (microsolvation) kinetic isotope effects are studied.

The validity of the quasiclassical trajectory surface hopping method is tested by comparison against accurate quantum dynamics calculations. Two versions of the method, one including electronic coherence between hops and one neglecting this effect, are applied to the electronically nonadiabatic quenching processes Na(3p)+H2(v=0,j=0 or 2)→Na(3s)+H2(v′,j′). They are found to agree well, not only for quenching probabilities and final-state distributions, but also for collision lifetimes and hopping statistics, demonstrating that electronic coherence is not important for this system. In general the accurate quantum dynamical calculations and both semiclassical surface hopping models agree well on the average, which lends credence to applications of semiclassical methods to provide insight into the mechanistic details of photochemical processes proceeding on coupled potential surfaces. In the second part of the paper the intimate details of the trajectories are analyzed to provide such insight for the present electronic-to-vibrational energy transfer process.

Converged quantum mechanical vibrational–rotational partition functions and free energies are calculated using realistic potential energy surfaces for several chalcogen dihydrides (H2O, D2O, H2S, H2Se) over a wide range of temperatures (600–4000 K). We employ an adaptively optimized Monte Carlo integration scheme for computing vibrational–rotational partition functions by the Fourier path-integral method. The partition functions and free energies calculated in this way are compared to approximate calculations that assume the separation of vibrational motions from rotational motions. In the approximate calculations, rotations are treated as those of a classical rigid rotator, and vibrations are treated by perturbation theory methods or by the harmonic oscillator model. We find that the perturbation theory treatments yield molecular partition functions which agree closely overall (within ∼7%) with the fully coupled accurate calculations, and these treatments reduce the errors by about a factor of 2 compared to the independent-mode harmonic oscillator model (with errors of ∼16%). These calculations indicate that vibrational anharmonicity and mode–mode coupling effects are significant, but that they may be treated with useful accuracy by perturbation theory for these molecules. The quantal free energies for gaseous water agree well with previously available approximate values for this well studied molecule, and similarly accurate values are also presented for the less well studied D2O, H2S, and H2Se.