Ab Initio Kinetics of Initial Thermal Pyrolysis of Isopropyl Propionate: A Revisited Study

This work reports a detailed mechanism of the initial thermal pyrolysis of isopropyl propionate, (C₂H₅C(=O)OCH(CH₃)₂), an important biodiesel additive/surrogate, for a wide range of T = 500-2000 K and P = 7.6-76 000 Torr. The detailed kinetic behaviors of the title reaction on the potential energy surface constructed at the CBS-QB3 level were investigated using the RRKM-based master equation (RRKM-ME) rate model, including hindered internal rotation (HIR) and tunneling corrections. It is revealed that the C₃H₆ elimination occurring via a six-centered retro-ene transition state is dominant at low temperatures, while the homolytic fission of the C-C bonds becomes more competitive at higher temperatures. The tunneling treatment is found to slightly increase the rate constant at low temperatures (e.g., ∼1.59 times at 563 K), while the HIR treatment, being important at high temperatures, decreases the rate (e.g., by 5.9 times at 2000 K). Showing a good agreement with experiments in low-temperature kinetics, the kinetic model reveals that the pressure effect should be taken into account at high temperatures. Finally, the temperature- and pressure-dependent kinetic mechanism, consisting of the calculated thermodynamic and kinetic data, is provided for further modeling and simulation of any related systems.