Thermochemical properties and bond dissociation enthalpies of 3- to 5-member ring cyclic ether hydroperoxides, alcohols, and peroxy radicals: cyclic ether radical + (3)O(2) reaction thermochemistry.

The formation of cyclic ethers is a major product in the oxidation of hydrocarbons, and the oxidation of biomass derived alcohols. Cyclic ethers are formed in the initial reactions of alkyl radicals with dioxygen in combustion and precombustion processes that occur at moderate temperatures. They represent a significant part of the oxygenated pollutants found in the exhaust gases of engines. Cyclic ethers can also be formed from atmospheric reactions of olefins. Additionally, cyclic ethers have been linked to the formation of the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere. In combustion and thermal oxidation processes these cyclic ethers will form radicals that react with (3)O2 to form peroxy radicals. Density functional theory and higher level ab initio calculations are used to calculate thermochemical properties and bond dissociation enthalpies of 3 to 5 member ring cyclic ethers (oxirane, yC2O, oxetane, yC3O, and oxolane, yC4O), corresponding hydroperoxides, alcohols, hydroperoxy alkyl, and alkyl radicals which are formed in these oxidation reaction systems. Trends in carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation energies for the ring and hydroperoxide group relative to ring size and to distance from the ether group are determined. Bond dissociation energies are calculated for use in understanding effects of the ether oxygen in the cyclic ethers, their stability, and kinetic properties. Geometries, vibration frequencies, and enthalpies of formation, ΔH°f,298, are calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), B3LYP/6-31G(2d,2p), the composite CBS-QB3, and G3MP2B3 methods. Entropy and heat capacities, S°(T) and Cp°(T) (5 K ≤ T ≤ 5000), are determined using geometric parameters and frequencies from the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations. The strong effects of ring strain on the bond dissociation energies in these peroxy systems are also of fundamental interest. Oxetane and oxolane exhibit a significant stabilization, 10 kcal mol(-1), lower ΔfH°298 when an oxygen group is on the ether carbon relative to the isomer with the oxygen group on a secondary carbon. Relative to alkane systems the ether oxygen decreases bond dissociation energies (BDEs) on carbon sites adjacent to the ether by ∼5 kcal mol(-1), and increases BDEs on nonether carbons ∼1 kcal mol(-1). The cyclic structures have significant effects on the C-H, CO-OH, COO-H, and CO-H bond dissociation enthalpies. These values can be used to help calibrate calculations of larger more complex bicyclic and tricyclic hydrocarbon and ether species.