Experimental and Theoretical Studies on the Kinetics and Mechanism of the C₃H₈/C₃D₈ + Cl Reaction

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the reaction between chlorine atoms and propane/deuterated propane (C₃H₈/C₃D₈) was performed. The experimental work aimed to determine absolute and site-specific rate constants for hydrogen and deuterium abstraction in the Cl + C₃H₈/C₃D₈ system. Measurements were conducted using the relative rate method at three temperatures between 298 and 387 K. Total rate constants for H/D abstraction by chlorine, as well as individual rate constants for abstraction from primary and secondary carbon sites, were obtained. The kinetic data for H abstraction agree well with previously reported literature values, confirming the reliability of the experimental approach. Notably, rate constants for the C₃D₈ + Cl reaction were determined for the first time, and the consistency of these results supports the reliability of the newly derived kinetic parameters. In the theoretical part of the study, hydrogen/deuterium abstraction from propane by atomic chlorine was analyzed within an atmospheric-chemistry context to clarify temperature dependence and site selectivity. Stationary points (SC, TS, PC, reactants, products) were optimized at MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ and verified by harmonic frequencies and intrinsic reaction-coordinate analyses. Eyring transition-state theory yielded 298-550 K rate constants with activation free energies referenced to SC. Our calculations indicate entrance-channel complex formation and effectively barrierless progress for most pathways; a small barrier appears only for RD1'. L-parameter evaluation classifies TS2 as reactant-like, and branching ratios identify -CH₂- abstraction (RX2) as dominant. These findings align with the experimental data.