F/Cl + C2H2 reactions: Are the addition and hydrogen abstraction direct processes?

The reactions of atomic radical F and Cl with acetylene have been studied theoretically using ab initio quantum chemistry methods and transition state theory. The doublet potential energy surfaces were calculated at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ//CCSD/6-31G(d,p), CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ//UMP2/6-311++G(d,p) and compound method Gaussian-3 levels. Two reaction mechanisms including the addition-elimination and the hydrogen abstraction reaction mechanisms are considered. In the addition-elimination reactions, the halogen atoms approach C2H2, perpendicular to the CC triple bond, forming the pre-reactive complex C1 at the reaction entrance. C1 transforms to intermediate isomer I1 via transition state TSC1/1 with a negative/small barrier for C2H2F/C2H2Cl system, which can proceed by further eliminating H atom endothermally. While the hydrogen abstraction reactions also involve C1 for the fluorine atom abstraction of hydrogen, yet the hydrogen abstraction by chlorine atom first forms a collinear hydrogen-bonded complex C2. The other reaction pathways on the doublet PES are less competitive due to thermodynamical or kinetic factors. According to our results, the presence of pre-reactive complexes indicates that the simple hydrogen abstraction and addition in the halogen atoms reaction with unsaturated hydrocarbon should be more complex. Furthermore, based on the analysis of the kinetics of all channels through which the addition and abstraction reactions proceed, we expect that the actual feasibility of the reaction channels may depend on the reaction conditions in the experiment. The present study may be helpful for probing the mechanisms of the title reactions and understanding the halogen chemistry.