Quantum-tunneling surface hydrogenation of solid benzene at low temperature

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26410001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Physical chemistry
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Hama Tetsuya 北海道大学, 低温科学研究所, 助教 (20579172)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 水素化 / 重水素化 / 芳香族炭化水素 / 反応制御 / 速度論的同位体効果 / 同位体分別 / 表面化学反応 / 量子トンネル効果

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Aromatic hydrocarbon is one of the main component of interstellar dust. The hydrogenation and deuteration of interstellar aromatic hydrocarbons is of particular interest for the formation of aliphatic hydrocarbons and their deuterated isotopologues.
In the present study, the hydrogenation/deuteration reactions of amorphous solid benzene (C6H6) was investigated at low temperatures of 10-50 K. Cyclohexane or deuterated cyclohexane are efficiently formed by H or D atom addition via quantum tunneling. In addition, we found that the isotopically insensitive surface processes (adsorption and diffusion) of the atoms physisorbed on solid C6H6 masked the tunneling kinetic isotope effect.
The present results implicate that interstellar aromatic hydrocarbons can be hydrogenated or deuterated by the tunneling of H or D atoms at low temperatures, and that the tunneling kinetic isotope effect would not strongly inhibit the deuteration of interstellar aromatic hydrocarbons.

Free Research Field

物理化学