Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Gas-Phase Reactions Of Aryl Radicals With 2-Butyne: An Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Employing The N-Methyl-Pyridinium-4-Yl Radical Cation, Adrian Lam, Cong Li, George Khairallah, Benjamin Kirk, Stephen Blanksby, Adam Trevitt, Uta Wille, Richard O'Hair, Gabriel Da Silva

Adam Trevitt

Aromatic radicals form in a variety of reacting gas-phase systems, where their molecular weight growth reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons are of considerable importance. We have investigated the ion–molecule reaction of the aromatic distonic N-methyl-pyridinium-4-yl (NMP) radical cation with 2-butyne (CH3C≡CCH3) using ion trap mass spectrometry. Comparison is made to high-level ab initio energy surfaces for the reaction of NMP and for the neutral phenyl radical system. The NMP radical cation reacts rapidly with 2-butyne at ambient temperature, due to the apparent absence of any barrier. The activated vinyl radical adduct predominantly dissociates via loss of a H atom, with lesser …