Gas-phase thermolysis reaction of formaldehyde diperoxide. Kinetic study and theoretical mechanisms

Highlights: ► Kinetic and mechanism of the gas-phase thermolysis of tetroxane were determined. ► Gas chromatography and computational potential energy surfaces were performed. ► A mechanism in steps looked like the most probable mechanism. ► A spin–orbit coupling appeared at the singlet and triple diradical open structures. ► A non-adiabatic crossing from the singlet to the triplet state occurred. - Abstract: Gas-phase thermolysis reaction of formaldehyde diperoxide (1,2,4,5-tetroxane) was performed in an injection chamber of a gas chromatograph at a range of 463–503 K. The average Arrhenius activation energy and pre-exponential factor were 29.3 ± 0.8 kcal/mol and 5.2 × 1013 s−1, respectively. Critical points and reaction paths of the ground singlet and first triplet potential energy surfaces (PES) were calculated, using DFT method at BHANDHLYP/6-311+G∗∗ level of the theory. Also, G3 calculations were performed on the reactant and products. Reaction by the ground-singlet and first-triplet states turned out to be endothermic and exothermic, respectively. The mechanism in three steps seemed to be the most probable one. An electronically non-adiabatic process appeared, in which a crossing, at an open diradical structure, from the singlet to the triplet state PES occurred, due to a spin–orbit coupling, yielding an exothermic reaction. Theoretical kinetic constant coming from the non- adiabatic transition from the singlet to the triplet state agrees with the experimental values.