Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−
Published on: July 27, 2018
Energy efficiency in surmounting the central energy barrier: a quantum dynamics study of the OH + CH3 → O + CH4
Pengxiu Yan1, Fanbin Meng, Yuping Wang
1College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China. dywang@sdnu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
The present quantum dynamics study of the OH + CH3 shows that, for this "central" (slightly early) barrier reaction, it is the vibrational energy of the reactant OH that is more effective in promoting the reactivity than the translational energy; while previous studies show that, for its forward reaction O + CH4 also with a "central" (slightly late) barrier, it is the translational energy that is more effective in surmounting the energy barrier than the vibrational energy. Since both barriers deviate only slightly from the center of the potential energy surface, these findings indicate that for these two reactions with more-or-less central barriers, a small change of the barrier location can greatly affect which energy form determines the reaction reactivity. This study also shows that both the rotational excitation states of OH and CH3 hinder the reactivity.
Related Concept Videos
SN2 Reaction: Kinetics
In a chemical reaction, a relationship exists between the concentration of reactants and the rate at which the reaction proceeds. The study to measure this relationship is known as the kinetics of a chemical reaction. Kinetic studies are used to deduce the rate law of a chemical reaction, which provides information about the species involved during the transition state of the rate-determining step. Thus, kinetic studies help to derive the mechanism of a...
Radical Halogenation: Thermodynamics
ortho–para-Directing Activators: –CH3, –OH, –⁠NH2, –OCH3
Regioselectivity of Electrophilic Additions-Peroxide Effect
Radical Anti-Markovnikov Addition to Alkenes: Thermodynamics
Hess's Law

