Reaction Rate Theory and Rare Events (eBook)

Chemical reactions and rare events control the rates of many familiar and important processes. For example, chemical reaction rates and mechanisms are essential for understanding catalysis, biochemistry, electrochemistry, and the chemical processes that affect our environment. Aspects of crystallization, protein folding, nanotechnology, and materials science also involve rare events, but these processes have mechanisms that are often very different from the mechanisms of chemical reactions. Reaction rate theory and the theory of rare events were developed through separate efforts in chemistry and physics.

Reaction Rate Theory and Rare Events Simulations bridges the historical gap between these subjects because the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of scientific research often requires an understanding of both reaction rate theory and the theory of other rare events. The book discusses collision theory, transition state theory, RRKM theory, catalysis, diffusion limited kinetics, mean first passage times, Kramers theory, Grote-Hynes theory, transition path theory, non-adiabatic reactions, electron transfer, and topics from reaction network analysis. The book also discusses transition state search algorithms, tunneling corrections, transmission coefficients, microkinetic models, kinetic Monte Carlo, transition path sampling, and importance sampling methods. The unified treatment in this book explains why chemical reactions and other rare events, while having many common theoretical foundations, often require very different computational modeling strategies. Reaction Rate Theory and Rare Events Simulations is an essential reference for students, professors, and scientists who use reaction rate theory or the theory of rare events.

• Offers an integrated approach to all simulation theories and reaction network analysis, a unique approach not found elsewhere in the literature, enabling the right selection of modelling
• Gives algorithms in pseudocode for using molecular simulation and computational chemistry methods in studies of rare events and reaction rates presenting a unique practical approach
• Uses graphics and explicit examples to explain concepts enabling easy understanding of the principles involved for wide audience with less knowledge in maths
• Includes problem sets developed and tested in a course range from pen-and-paper theoretical problems to computational exercises for potential use in graduate courses and also as a reference on computational methods for understanding activated processes

Baron Peters (1976 - ) is from Moberly, Missouri. He completed a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a B.S. in Mathematics at the University of Missouri - Columbia. He studied catalysis and reaction rate theory to obtain a PhD with Alex Bell and Arup Chakraborty at the University of California - Berkeley in 2004. He then worked as a post-doc with Bernhardt Trout at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and with Berend Smit at the Centre Europeen de Calcul Atomique et Moleculaire (CECAM). Baron is currently a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California - Santa Barbara. Baron has contributed several leading computational methods and theoretical advances for understanding chemical reaction rates, heterogeneous catalysis, enzyme catalysis, and also rare events like crystal nucleation kinetics. He is among the few investigators whose research bridges the historical gap between the theory of chemical reaction rates and the theory of other types of rare events.

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Reaction Rate Theory and Rare Events bridges the historical gap between these subjects because the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of scientific research often requires an understanding of both reaction rate theory and the theory of other rare events. The book discusses collision theory, transition state theory, RRKM theory, catalysis, diffusion limited kinetics, mean first passage times, Kramers theory, Grote-Hynes theory, transition path theory, non-adiabatic reactions, electron transfer, and topics from reaction network analysis. It is an essential reference for students, professors and scientists who use reaction rate theory or the theory of rare events. In addition, the book discusses transition state search algorithms, tunneling corrections, transmission coefficients, microkinetic models, kinetic Monte Carlo, transition path sampling, and importance sampling methods. The unified treatment in this book explains why chemical reactions and other rare events, while having many common theoretical foundations, often require very different computational modeling strategies. Offers an integrated approach to all simulation theories and reaction network analysis, a unique approach not found elsewhere Gives algorithms in pseudocode for using molecular simulation and computational chemistry methods in studies of rare events Uses graphics and explicit examples to explain concepts Includes problem sets developed and tested in a course range from pen-and-paper theoretical problems, to computational exercises