Two quantum effects can enable reactions to take place at energies below the barrier separating reactants from products: tunnelling and intersystem crossing between coupled potential energy surfaces. Here we show that intersystem crossing in the region between the pre-reactive complex and the reaction barrier can control the rate of bimolecular reactions for weakly coupled potential energy surfaces, even in the absence of heavy atoms. For O(P-3) plus pyridine, a reaction relevant to combustion, astrochemistry and biochemistry, crossed-beam experiments indicate that the dominant products are pyrrole and CO, obtained through a spin-forbidden ring-contraction mechanism. The experimental findings are interpreted-by high-level quantum-chemical calculations and statistical non-adiabatic computations of branching fractions-in terms of an efficient intersystem crossing occurring before the high entrance barrier for 0-atom addition to the N-atom lone pair. At low to moderate temperatures, the computed reaction rates prove to be dominated by intersystem crossing.

Recio, P., Alessandrini, S., Vanuzzo, G., Pannacci, G., Baggioli, A., Marchione, D., et al. (2022). Intersystem crossing in the entrance channel of the reaction of O(3P) with pyridine. NATURE CHEMISTRY, 14(12), 1405-1412 [10.1038/s41557-022-01047-3].

Intersystem crossing in the entrance channel of the reaction of O(3P) with pyridine

Alessandrini, Silvia;Puzzarini, Cristina
;
2022

Abstract

Two quantum effects can enable reactions to take place at energies below the barrier separating reactants from products: tunnelling and intersystem crossing between coupled potential energy surfaces. Here we show that intersystem crossing in the region between the pre-reactive complex and the reaction barrier can control the rate of bimolecular reactions for weakly coupled potential energy surfaces, even in the absence of heavy atoms. For O(P-3) plus pyridine, a reaction relevant to combustion, astrochemistry and biochemistry, crossed-beam experiments indicate that the dominant products are pyrrole and CO, obtained through a spin-forbidden ring-contraction mechanism. The experimental findings are interpreted-by high-level quantum-chemical calculations and statistical non-adiabatic computations of branching fractions-in terms of an efficient intersystem crossing occurring before the high entrance barrier for 0-atom addition to the N-atom lone pair. At low to moderate temperatures, the computed reaction rates prove to be dominated by intersystem crossing.
2022
Recio, P., Alessandrini, S., Vanuzzo, G., Pannacci, G., Baggioli, A., Marchione, D., et al. (2022). Intersystem crossing in the entrance channel of the reaction of O(3P) with pyridine. NATURE CHEMISTRY, 14(12), 1405-1412 [10.1038/s41557-022-01047-3].
Recio, Pedro; Alessandrini, Silvia; Vanuzzo, Gianmarco; Pannacci, Giacomo; Baggioli, Alberto; Marchione, Demian; Caracciolo, Adriana; Murray, Vanessa ...espandi
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
NatChem_O-pyridine-accepted.pdf

Open Access dal 30/03/2023

Tipo: Postprint
Licenza: Licenza per accesso libero gratuito
Dimensione 677.06 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
677.06 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/918905
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 1
  • Scopus 24
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 23
social impact