Convergent ab initio analysis of the multi-channel HOBr + H reaction

High-level potential energy surfaces for three reactions of hypobromous acid with atomic hydrogen were computed at the CCSDTQ/CBS//CCSDT(Q)/complete basis set level of theory. Focal point analysis was utilized to extrapolate energies and gradients for energetics and optimizations, respectively. The H attack at Br and subsequent Br-O cleavage were found to proceed barrierlessly. The slightly submerged transition state lies -0.2 kcal mol-1 lower in energy than the reactants and produces OH and HBr. The two other studied reaction paths are the radical substitution to produce H2O and Br with a 4.0 kcal mol-1 barrier and the abstraction at hydrogen to produce BrO and H2 with an 11.2 kcal mol-1 barrier. The final product energies lie -37.2, -67.9, and -7.3 kcal mol-1 lower in energy than reactants, HOBr + H, for the sets of products OH + HBr, H2O + Br, and H2 + BrO, respectively. Additive corrections computed for the final energetics, particularly the zero-point vibrational energies and spin-orbit corrections, significantly impacted the final stationary point energies, with corrections up to 6.2 kcal mol-1.