Reaction Mechanism for Direct Proton Transfer from Carbonic Acid to a Strong Base in Aqueous Solution I: Acid and Base Coordinate and Charge Dynamics

Snehasis Daschakraborty, Philip M. Kiefer, Yifat Miller, Yair Motro, Dina Pines, Ehud Pines, James T. Hynes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Protonation by carbonic acid H2CO3 of the strong base methylamine CH3NH2 in a neutral contact pair in aqueous solution is followed via Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. Proton transfer (PT) occurs to form an aqueous solvent-stabilized contact ion pair within 100 fs, a fast time scale associated with the compression of the acid-base hydrogen-bond (H-bond), a key reaction coordinate. This rapid barrierless PT is consistent with the carbonic acid-protonated base pKa difference that considerably favors the PT, and supports the view of intact carbonic acid as potentially important proton donor in assorted biological and environmental contexts. The charge redistribution within the H-bonded complex during PT supports a Mulliken picture of charge transfer from the nitrogen base to carbonic acid without altering the transferring hydrogen's charge from approximately midway between that of a hydrogen atom and that of a proton.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2271-2280
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B
Volume120
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 17 Mar 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Materials Chemistry

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