Reaction pathways for the thermal decomposition of methyl butanoate

In recent years, biodiesel fuels, consisting of long-chain alkyl (methyl, ethyl, propyl) esters, have emerged as viable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels. From a combustion chemistry standpoint, there is great interest in developing accurate reaction models for these new molecules that can be used to predict their behaviors in various regimes. In this paper, we report a detailed study of the unimolecular decomposition pathways of methyl butanoate (MB), a short-chain ester that contains the basic chemical structure of biodiesel fuels. Using ab initio/DFT methods, we identified five homolytic fissions of C-C and C-O bonds and five hydrogen transfer reactions. Rate constants were determined using the G3B3 theory coupled with both variational transition state theory and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus/master equation simulations with hindered rotation corrections. Branching ratios in the temperature range 1500-2200 K indicate that the main pathway for thermal decomposition of MB is the reaction CH3CH2CH2C(═O)OCH3 → C2H5 + CH2C(═O)OCH3. The results, in terms of reaction pathways and rate constants, can be used for future development of mechanisms for long alkyl-chain esters.