Reaction of Np atom with H₂O in the gas phase: reaction mechanisms and ab initio molecular dynamics study

The gas-phase reaction of an Np atom with H2O was investigated using density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics. The reaction mechanisms and the corresponding potential energy profiles for different possible spin states were analyzed. Three reaction channels were found in the mechanism study: the isomerization channel, the H2 elimination channel, and the H atom elimination channel. The latter two were observed in the dynamics simulation. It was found that the branching ratio of the title reaction depends on the initial kinetic energy along the transition vector. Product energy distributions for the reaction were evaluated by performing direct classical trajectory calculations on the lowest sextet potential energy surface. The results indicate that most of the available energy appears as the translational energy of the products. The overall results indicate that the H2 elimination channel with low kinetic energy is thermodynamically favored but competes with the H atom elimination channel with higher kinetic energy.