Properties and Reactivity of First and Second Row Hydrides. IV. Interactions Between Hydrides and Their Radical Ions

Abstract

The energies and heats of ion-molecule reactions have been calculated (MP4/6-31G**//6-31G** or better level) and compared with the experimental values obtained from the heats of formation. Two main types of reactions have been studied: (i) AHn + AHn+• ↔ AHn+1+ + AHn-1• (A = C to F and Si to Cl), (ii) AHn + BHm+• ↔ AHn+1+ + BHm-1• or AHn-1+• + BHm+1+ (A and B = C to F). In contrast to (i), processes of type (ii) permit easy differentiation between the proton transfer and hydrogen atom abstraction mechanisms. A third type of interaction involves reactions with radical anions (A = Li to F); comparison was made with analogous processes with radical cations. A brief comment is made about the influence of the level of computational sophistication on the energies and heats of reaction, as well as on the stabilization energy of a hydrogen bonded intermediate, a structure which is similar to that of the reaction products.