Simulations of highly reactive fluids

We report density functional molecular dynamics simulations to determine the early chemical events of hot (T = 3000 K) and dense (1.97 g/cm{sup 3}, V/V{sub 0} = 0.68) nitromethane (CH{sub 3}NO{sub 2}). The first step in the decomposition process is an intermolecular proton abstraction mechanism that leads to the formation of CH{sub 3}NO{sub 2}H and the aci ion H{sub 2}CNO{sub 2}{sup -}, in support of evidence from static high-pressure and shock experiments. An intramolecular hydrogen transfer that transforms nitromethane into the aci acid form, CH{sub 2}NO{sub 2}H, accompanies this event. This is the first confirmation of chemical reactivity with bond selectivity for an energetic material near the condition of fully reacted specimen. We also report the decomposition mechanism followed up to the formation of H{sub 2}O as the first stable product

Adomian and Adomian-Padé Technique for Solving Variable Coefficient Variant Boussinesq System

In this paper, Adomian and Adomian-Padé Technique are used to find approximate solutions for the Variable-Coefficient Variant Boussinesq System, and using Adomian-Padé Technique for Debug (Remove) The Gap (Complex Root)

Modeling the Reactions of Energetic Materials in the Condensed Phase

High explosive (HE) materials are unique for having a strong exothermic reactivity, which has made them desirable for both military and commercial applications. Although the history of HE materials is long, condensed-phase properties are poorly understood. Understanding the condensed-phase properties of HE materials is important for determining stability and performance. Information regarding HE material properties (for example, the physical, chemical, and mechanical behaviors of the constituents in plastic-bonded explosive, or PBX, formulations) is necessary in efficiently building the next generation of explosives as the quest for more powerful energetic materials (in terms of energy per volume) moves forward. In addition, understanding the reaction mechanisms has important ramifications in disposing of such materials safely and cheaply, as there exist vast stockpiles of HE materials with corresponding contamination of earth and groundwater at these sites, as well as a military testing sites The ability to model chemical reaction processes in condensed phase energetic materials is rapidly progressing. Chemical equilibrium modeling is a mature technique with some limitations. Progress in this area continues, but is hampered by a lack of knowledge of condensed phase reaction mechanisms and rates. Atomistic modeling is much more computationally intensive, and is currently limited to very short time scales. Nonetheless, this methodology promises to yield the first reliable insights into the condensed phase processes responsible for high explosive detonation. Further work is necessary to extend the timescales involved in atomistic simulations. Recent work in implementing thermostat methods appropriate to shocks may promise to overcome some of these difficulties. Most current work on energetic material reactivity assumes that electronically adiabatic processes dominate. The role of excited states is becoming clearer, however. These states are not accessible in perfect crystals under realistic pressures and temperatures, but may still be accessed through defects or other energy localization mechanisms

A Molecular Dynamics Study of Chemical Reactions of Solid Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate at Extreme Conditions

We have carried out density functional based tight binding (DFTB) molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study energetic reactions of solid Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) at conditions approximating the Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation state. We found that the initial decomposition of PETN molecular solid is characterized by uni-molecular dissociation of the NO{sub 2}groups. Interestingly, energy release from this powerful high explosive was found to proceed in several stages. The large portion of early stage energy release was found to be associated with the formation of H{sub 2}O molecules within a few picoseconds of reaction. It took nearly four times as long for majority of CO{sub 2} products to form, accompanied by a slow oscillatory conversion between CO and CO{sub 2}. The production of N{sub 2} starts after NO{sub 2} loses its oxygen atoms to hydrogen or carbon atoms to form H{sub 2}O or CO. We identified many intermediate species that emerge and contribute to reaction kinetics, and compared our simulation with a thermo-chemical equilibrium calculation. In addition, a detailed chemical kinetics of formation of H{sub 2}O, CO, and CO{sub 2} were developed. Rate constants of formations of H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2} were reported

A multi-scale approach to molecular dynamics simulations of shock waves

Study of the propagation of shock waves in condensed matter has led to new discoveries ranging from new metastable states of carbon [1] to the metallic conductivity of hydrogen in Jupiter, [2] but progress in understanding the microscopic details of shocked materials has been extremely difficult. Complications can include the unexpected formation of metastable states of matter that determine the structure, instabilities, and time-evolution of the shock wave. [1,3] The formation of these metastable states can depend on the time-dependent thermodynamic pathway that the material follows behind the shock front. Furthermore, the states of matter observed in the shock wave can depend on the timescale on which observation is made. [4,1] Significant progress in understanding these microscopic details has been made through molecular dynamics simulations using the popular non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) approach to atomistic simulation of shock compression. [5] The NEMD method involves creating a shock at one edge of a large system by assigning some atoms at the edge a fixed velocity. The shock propagates across the computational cell to the opposite side. The computational work required by NEMD scales at least quadratically in the evolution time because larger systems are needed for longer simulations to prevent the shock wave from reflecting from the edge of the computational cell and propagating back into the cell. When quantum mechanical methods with poor scaling of computational effort with system size are employed, this approach to shock simulations rapidly becomes impossible

Dark resonances for ground state transfer of molecular quantum gases

One possible way to produce ultracold, high-phase-space-density quantum gases of molecules in the rovibronic ground state is given by molecule association from quantum-degenerate atomic gases on a Feshbach resonance and subsequent coherent optical multi-photon transfer into the rovibronic ground state. In ultracold samples of Cs_2 molecules, we observe two-photon dark resonances that connect the intermediate rovibrational level |v=73,J=2> with the rovibrational ground state |v=0,J=0> of the singlet $X^1\Sigma_g^+$ ground state potential. For precise dark resonance spectroscopy we exploit the fact that it is possible to efficiently populate the level |v=73,J=2> by two-photon transfer from the dissociation threshold with the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique. We find that at least one of the two-photon resonances is sufficiently strong to allow future implementation of coherent STIRAP transfer of a molecular quantum gas to the rovibrational ground state |v=0,J=0>.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Initial Steps of Thermal Decomposition of Dihydroxylammonium 5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′-diolate Crystals from Quantum Mechanics

Dihydroxylammonium 5,5?-bistetrazole-1,1?-diolate (TKX-50) is a recently synthesized energetic material (EM) with most promising performance, including high energy content, high density, low sensitivity, and low toxicity. TKX-50 forms an ionic crystal in which the unit cell contains two bistetrazole dianions {c-((NO)N3C)-[c-(CN3(NO)], formal charge of ?2} and four hydroxylammonium (NH3OH)+ cations (formal charge of +1). We report here quantum mechanics (QM)-based reaction studies to determine the atomistic reaction mechanisms for the initial decompositions of this system. First we carried out molecular dynamics simulations on the periodic TKX-50 crystal using forces from density functional based tight binding calculations (DFTB-MD), which finds that the chemistry is initiated by proton transfer from the cation to the dianion. Continuous heating of this periodic system leads eventually to dissociation of the protonated or diprotonated bistetrazole to release N2 and N2O. To refine the mechanisms observed in the periodic DFTB-MD, we carried out finite cluster quantum mechanics studies (B3LYP) for the unimolecular decomposition of the bistetrazole. We find that for the bistetrazole dianion, the reaction barrier for release of N2 is 45.1 kcal/mol, while release of N2O is 72.2 kcal/mol. However, transferring one proton to the bistetrazole dianion decreases the reaction barriers to 37.2 kcal/mol for N2 release and 59.5 kcal/mol for N2O release. Thus, we predict that the initial decompositions in TKX-50 lead to N2 release, which in turn provides the energy to drive further decompositions. On the basis of this mechanism, we suggest changes to make the system less sensitive while retaining the large energy release. This may help improve the synthesis strategy of developing high nitrogen explosives with further improved performance

Quinoa Phenotyping Methodologies: An International Consensus

Quinoa is a crop originating in the Andes but grown more widely and with the genetic potential for significant further expansion. Due to the phenotypic plasticity of quinoa, varieties need to be assessed across years and multiple locations. To improve comparability among field trials across the globe and to facilitate collaborations, components of the trials need to be kept consistent, including the type and methods of data collected. Here, an internationally open-access framework for phenotyping a wide range of quinoa features is proposed to facilitate the systematic agronomic, physiological and genetic characterization of quinoa for crop adaptation and improvement. Mature plant phenotyping is a central aspect of this paper, including detailed descriptions and the provision of phenotyping cards to facilitate consistency in data collection. High-throughput methods for multi-temporal phenotyping based on remote sensing technologies are described. Tools for higher throughput post-harvest phenotyping of seeds are presented. A guideline for approaching quinoa field trials including the collection of environmental data and designing layouts with statistical robustness is suggested. To move towards developing resources for quinoa in line with major cereal crops, a database was created. The Quinoa Germinate Platform will serve as a central repository of data for quinoa researchers globally

Initial Decomposition Reactions of Bicyclo-HMX [BCHMX or cis

We investigated the initial chemical reactions of BCHMX [cis-1,3,4,6-tetranitrooctahydroimidazo-[4,5-d]imidazole] with the following procedure. First we used density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations (DFT-MD) on the periodic crystal to discover the initial reaction steps. This allowed us to determine the most important reactions through DFT-MD simulations at high temperatures. Then we started with the midpoint of the reaction (unimolecular or bimolecular) from the DFT-MD and carried out higher quality finite cluster DFT calculations to locate the true transition state of the reaction, followed by calculations along the reaction path to determine the initial and final states. We find that for the noncompressed BCHMX the nitro-aci isomerization reaction occurs earlier than the NO2-releasing reaction, while for compressed BCHMX intermolecular hydrogen-transfer and bimolecular NO2-releasing reactions occur earlier than the nitrous acid (HONO)-releasing reaction. At high pressures, the initial reaction involves intermolecular hydrogen transfer rather than intramolecular hydrogen transfer, and the intermolecular hydrogen transfer decreases the reaction barrier for release of NO2 by ∼7 kcal/mol. Thus, the HONO-releasing reaction takes place more easily in compressed BCHMX. We find that this reaction barrier is 10 kcal/mol lower than the unimolecular NO2 release and ∼3 kcal/mol lower than the bimolecular NO2 release. This rationalizes the origin of the higher sensitivity of BCHMX compared to RDX (1,3,5-trinitrohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine) and HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine). We suggest changes in BCHMX that might help decrease the sensitivity by avoiding the intermolecular hydrogen-transfer and HONO-releasing reaction