Hari P. Upadhyaya

The kinetic and mechanistic studies for the reaction of hydroxyl radical (^•OH), sulfate radical anion (), and hydrated electron with quinoline‐based herbicide, namely, 8–quinoline carboxylic acid (8QCA), have been performed using experimental and computational methods. Experimental studies are performed using pulse radiolysis technique at different pHs and corroborated with theoretical studies using ab initio molecular orbital calculations. At lower pH of 1, the 8QCA is protonated and reacts with ^•OH radical to generate transient spectrum with maxima at 340 and 420 nm. Similarly at higher pH of 9, the 8QCA is deprotonated and shows transient absorption maxima at 320 nm. At neutral pH, it exists as neutral species and reacts with ^•OH radical differently. Theoretically, individual rate coefficients for ^•OH radical addition reaction with each carbon atoms are evaluated including solvent effect and tunneling correction. Fukui index and individual rate constant determination confirm that C5 carbon atom is the most reactive site for the ^•OH radical addition reaction. The total rate constant evaluated theoretically and experimentally for the ^•OH radical reaction is equal to its diffusion‐limit value. The ability of ^•OH radical to degrade 8QCA is found to be higher as compared to .

A computational study on the intricate mechanism of thiophene ring‐fragmentation (TRF) in the UV photodissociation, dissociative ionization, and dissociative electron attachment process has been performed. The complete fragmentation process is studied using high level G4 composite method for neutral, cationic, and anionic species by elucidating a detailed mechanism for various reaction channels. The study shows that for neutral thiophene, the major pathway is the migration of H atom and subsequent fragmentation through a transition state yielding acetylene (HC≡CH) and H₂C=C=S. However, for the thiophene cation, the acetylene (HC≡CH)+H₂C=C=S⁺ channel is a two‐step and barrier less process. The onset of CH₃+HC=C=C=S channel has been observed in both the thiophene cation and anion which was absent in the neutral analogue. Similarly, the onset of H₂S+HC≡C—C≡CH channel has been found to operate only in the thiophene cation. Others, such as HCS and HS elimination channels have been found in all the species showing similar dissociation mechanism. For the thiophene anion, the TRF process is very much similar to that of thiophene cation. However, the reaction enthalpies of the various elimination channels in the anionic species are lower as compared to that of cationic species. During the study, the ionization energies and electron affinities of various molecules/radicals produced during the fragmentation process of thiophene were also computed.

The kinetic and mechanistic studies for the reaction of hydroxyl radical with two quinoline based herbicides, namely, quinclorac and quinmerac has been performed using various computational methods in aqueous media. Geometry optimizations were performed using Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods including water as the solvent. Local reactivity parameters of these herbicides towards the ^•OH radical are predicted using condensed Fukui function. Single point energies of various species were calculated using double hybrid method, namely, B2PLYP–D for better accuracy. The pK_a values for these acid based herbicides allow them to exist in deprotonated form in aqueous condition. Hence, the calculations are also performed for the deprotonated or the anionic form apart from the neutral species. Individual rate coefficients for ^•OH radical addition reaction with each carbon atoms were evaluated using conventional transition state theory using one–dimensional tunneling corrections. The solvent effect on reaction is implemented through Collins–Kimball formulations. Both the approaches, namely, the Fukui index and individual rate constant determination confirms that the most reactive site for the ^•OH radical addition in these two herbicide is the carbon atom attached to the COOH group. The total rate constant for the ^•OH radical reaction with both neutral and anionic forms of these two herbicides are relatively high and equal to its diffusion‐limit value. Evaluation of the ecotoxicities of the parent herbicides and their OH adducts is estimated using the structure–activity relationship concept.

This study investigates the photoacidity and excited state proton transfer (ESPT) pathways of a bifunctional molecule, 6-amino-2-naphthol (6N2OH), using absorption, steady-state fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence, and theoretical calculations. 6N2OH attains four different prototropic forms in the excited state (cation, neutral, anion, or zwitterion) depending on pH of the solution. Interestingly, ESPT at the OH site of the molecule can be controlled by the protonation state of the amino substituent. Conversion of the electron donating NH2 group to the electron withdrawing NH3+ group brings about a reduction of more than 7 pK(a) units for the deprotonation of OH in the excited state. Further, the position of the NH2 substituent on the naphthalene framework is found to play an important role in dictating the ESPT pathways of aminonaphthols. Unlike most aminonaphthol derivatives that undergo ESPT only at the OH site, akin to substituted naphthols, 6N2OH undergoes ESPT at both OH and NH3 + sites, indicating its similarity to substituted naphthols and substituted naphthylamines. ESPT at the NH3+ site resulting in cation neutral equilibrium of 6N2OH in the excited state is well-corroborated by comparative studies with another reference photoacid, 6-amino-2-methoxynaphthalene (6N2M). Correlation of the acidity constants of 6N2OH with the sigma(p) parameters according to the Hammett model reveals that while 6N2OH can be treated either as naphthol or as naphthylamine in the ground state, the structure-function correlation cannot be extrapolated directly in the excited state, thus highlighting the rich and complex photophysics of bifunctional photoacids.

Rationale: Halogenated thiophenes are an important class of compounds mostly used in the synthesis of various materials, showing unusual electronic and optical properties. The Thiophene Ring Fragmentation (TRF) process is widely used in synthetic chemistry. In this study, the fragmentation pattern of the molecular cation of halogenated thiophene, namely, 2‐chlorothiophene, was monitored to establish its dissociation mechanism. Methods: The molecular cation of 2‐chlorothiophene was prepared using multiphoton excitation using a laser at 235 nm. Various product ions upon fragmentation of the molecular ion were mass analyzed using time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Laser power dependence studies were also conducted for various product ions to arrive at the dissociation mechanism. Theoretical calculations were carried out to estimate the reaction enthalpies for various reactions and compared with the experimental data available in the literature. Results: The most abundant product ion was observed as the HCS ⁺ radical cation followed by the C ₃ H ₃ ⁺ ion and the H ₂ CCCCS ⁺ radical cation. Other product ions such as SCCl ⁺ , ClHCCS ⁺ radical cations were also observed to a lesser extent in the fragmentation pattern of the parent molecular ion. Various dissociation channels were identified and supported with ab initio calculation. It has been inferred that the TRF process is usually initiated by the H/Cl atom transfer process. The appearance energies of the various fragment ions were also estimated theoretically and compared with literature values. Conclusions: In conclusion, the fragmentation pattern of the molecular cation of 2‐chlorothiophene was studied and the formation mechanisms of various product ions have been assigned. The appearance energies of the various fragment ions were also calculated. Finally, it is inferred that a TRF process is initiated by the H/Cl atom migration and subsequent ring opening either by C–C or C–S bond cleavage leading to the various isomers and their subsequent fragmentation. The ionization energies were accurately predicted for various species using ab initio calculation.

The dynamics of chlorine atom (²P_j) formation in the photodissociation process of halogen substituted pyrimidines, namely, 2,4,6-trichloropyrimidine and 5-chloro-2,4,6-trifluoropyrimidine have been studied around 235 nm using Resonance Enhanced Multiphoton Ionisation Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry technique. For the chlorine atom dissociation channel, we have determined the translational energy distribution, the recoil anisotropy parameter, β, and the spin–orbit branching ratio. In both the molecules, the TOF profiles for Cl (²P_3/2) and Cl* (²P_1/2) are found to be independent of laser polarisation suggesting a zero value for β, within the experimental uncertainties. For 2,4,6-trichloropyrimidine, the average translational energies for Cl and Cl* elimination channels are determined to be 6.0 ± 1.2 and 7.0 ± 1.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Similarly, for 5-chloro-2,4,6-trifluoropyrimidine, the average translational energies for Cl and Cl* elimination channels are determined to be 6.5 ± 1.2 and 7.9 ± 1.6 kcal/mol, respectively. Computational calculations are performed to generate the potential energy curves along the dissociating C-Cl bond using equation of motion coupled cluster with single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD) method. Computational studies suggest the role of triplet states in the photodissociation process forming the Cl atom.