An ab initio study on the insertion reactions of CH [X2II] with NH3, H2O, and HF

Abstract

The mechanisms of the reactions of CH (X2II) with NH3, H2O, and HF have been studied by means of ab initio molecular orbital calculations incorporating electron correlation with Møller–Plesset perturbation theory up to the second order. For each of the three CH reactions, the insertion path has been found in the potential energy surface; in the calculated insertion path there exists an intermediate complex prior to the transition state that has a lower energy than the reactants. Energetic results indicate that insertion paths are favourable channels for these CH reactions, which is in line with proposals based on kinetic experiments. Key words: CH radical, ammonia, water, hydrogen fluoride, reaction mechanism.