Characterization of the 1,1-HF Elimination Reaction from the Competition between the 1,1-HF and 1,2-DF Unimolecular Elimination Reactions of CD3CD2CHF2.

The recombination of CHF2 and C2D5 radicals was used to produce CD3CD2CHF2* molecules with 96 kcal mol(-1) of vibrational energy in a room temperature bath gas. The formation of CD3CD═CHF and CD3CD═CDF was used to identify the 1,2-DF and 1,1-HF unimolecular elimination channels; CD3CD═CDF is formed by isomerization of the singlet-state CD3CD2CF carbene. The total unimolecular rate constant is 1.6 × 10(6) s(-1), and the branching ratio for 1,1-HF elimination is 0.25. Threshold energies of 64 ± 2 and 73 ± 2 kcal mol(-1) were assigned to the 1,2-DF and 1,1-HF reaction channels. The E and Z isomers of 1-fluoropropene were observed for each reaction; approximately 30% of the CD3CD═CDF molecules derived from 1,1-HF elimination retained enough energy to undergo cis-trans isomerization. Electronic structure calculations with density-functional theory were used to characterize the transition-state structures and the H atom migration barrier for CD3CD2CF. Adjustment of the rate constants to account for kinetic-isotope effects suggest that the branching ratio would be 0.20 for 1,1-HF elimination from C2H5CHF2. The results from an earlier study of CD3CHF2 and CH3CHF2 are also reinterpreted to assign a threshold energy of 74 kcal mol(-1) for the 1,1-HF elimination reaction. Because CHF2CHF2* is generated in the photolysis system, the 1,1-and 1,2-HF-elimination reactions of CHF2CHF2* are discussed. The 1,1-HF channel was identified by trapping the CF2HCF carbene with cis-butene-2.