This book deals with a central topic at the interface of chemistry and physics - the understanding of how the transformation of matter takes place at the atomic level. Building on the laws of physics, the book focuses on the theoretical framework for predicting the outcome of chemical reactions. The style is highly systematic with attention to basic concepts and clarity of presentation. Molecular reaction dynamics is about the detailed atomic-level description of chemical reactions. Based on quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics or, as an approximation, classical mechanics, the dynamics of uni- and bi-molecular elementary reactions are described. The book features a detailed presentation of transition-state theory which plays an important role in practice, and a comprehensive discussion of basic theories of reaction dynamics in condensed phases. Examples and end-of-chapter problems are included in order to illustrate the theory and its connection to chemical problems.

This book provides a penetrating and comprehensive description of energy selected reactions from a theoretical as well as experimental view. Three major aspects of unimolecular reactions involving the preparation of the reactants in selected energy states, the rate of dissociation of the activated molecule, and the partitioning of the excess energy among the final products, are fully discussed with the aid of 175 illustrations and over 1,000 references, most from the recent literature. Examples of both neutral and ionic reactions are presented. Many of the difficult topics are discussed at several levels of sophistication to allow access by novices as well as experts. Among the topics covered for the first time in monograph form is a discussion of highly excited vibrational/rotational states and intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution. Problems associated with the application of RRKM theory are discussed with the aid of experimental examples. Detailed comparisons are also made between different statistical models of unimolecular decomposition. Both quantum and classical models not based on statistical assumptions are described. Finally, a chapter devoted to the theory of product energy distribution includes the application of phase space theory to the dissociation of small and large clusters. The work will be welcomed as a valuable resource by practicing researchers and graduate students in physical chemistry, and those involved in the study of chemical reaction dynamics.

Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Dynamics brings together the major facts and theories relating to the rates with which chemical reactions occur from both the macroscopic and microscopic point of view. This book helps the reader achieve a thorough understanding of the principles of chemical kinetics and includes: Detailed stereochemical discussions of reaction steps Classical theory based calculations of state-to-state rate constants A collection of matters on kinetics of various special reactions such as micellar catalysis, phase transfer catalysis, inhibition processes, oscillatory reactions, solid-state reactions, and polymerization reactions at a single source. The growth of the chemical industry greatly depends on the application of chemical kinetics, catalysts and catalytic processes. This volume is therefore an invaluable resource for all academics, industrial researchers and students interested in kinetics, molecular reaction dynamics, and the mechanisms of chemical reactions.

Annotation Provides a detailed picture of the current status of advanced experimental and theoretical research in chemical reaction dynamics. Topics include the Doppler-selected time-of-flight technique, multimass ion imaging, and photodissociation dynamics of free radicals.

Molecular reaction dynamics is the study of chemical and physical transformations of matter at the molecular level. The understanding of how chemical reactions occur and how to control them is fundamental to chemists and interdisciplinary areas such as materials and nanoscience, rational drug design, environmental and astrochemistry. This book provides a thorough foundation to this area. The first half is introductory, detailing experimental techniques for initiating and probing reaction dynamics and the essential insights that have been gained. The second part explores key areas including photoselective chemistry, stereochemistry, chemical reactions in real time and chemical reaction dynamics in solutions and interfaces. Typical of the new challenges are molecular machines, enzyme action and molecular control. With problem sets included, this book is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as being supplementary to chemical kinetics, physical chemistry, biophysics and materials science courses, and as a primer for practising scientists.

Reaction Rate Theory and Rare Events bridges the historical gap between these subjects because the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of scientific research often requires an understanding of both reaction rate theory and the theory of other rare events. The book discusses collision theory, transition state theory, RRKM theory, catalysis, diffusion limited kinetics, mean first passage times, Kramers theory, Grote-Hynes theory, transition path theory, non-adiabatic reactions, electron transfer, and topics from reaction network analysis. It is an essential reference for students, professors and scientists who use reaction rate theory or the theory of rare events. In addition, the book discusses transition state search algorithms, tunneling corrections, transmission coefficients, microkinetic models, kinetic Monte Carlo, transition path sampling, and importance sampling methods. The unified treatment in this book explains why chemical reactions and other rare events, while having many common theoretical foundations, often require very different computational modeling strategies. - Offers an integrated approach to all simulation theories and reaction network analysis, a unique approach not found elsewhere - Gives algorithms in pseudocode for using molecular simulation and computational chemistry methods in studies of rare events - Uses graphics and explicit examples to explain concepts - Includes problem sets developed and tested in a course range from pen-and-paper theoretical problems, to computational exercises

Activity in any theoretical area is usually stimulated by new experimental techniques and the resulting opportunity of measuring phenomena that were previously inaccessible. Such has been the case in the area under consideration he re beginning about fifteen years aga when the possibility of studying chemical reactions in crossed molecular beams captured the imagination of physical chemists, for one could imagine investigating chemical kinetics at the same level of molecular detail that had previously been possible only in spectroscopic investigations of molecular stucture. This created an interest among chemists in scattering theory, the molecular level description of a bimolecular collision process. Many other new and also powerful experimental techniques have evolved to supplement the molecular be am method, and the resulting wealth of new information about chemical dynamics has generated the present intense activity in molecular collision theory. During the early years when chemists were first becoming acquainted with scattering theory, it was mainly a matter of reading the physics literature because scattering experiments have long been the staple of that field. It was natural to apply the approximations and models that had been developed for nuclear and elementary particle physics, and although some of them were useful in describing molecular collision phenomena, many were not.