The HCO2 potential energy surface: Stationary point energetics and the HOCO heat of formation

The energies of six stationary points on the OH+CO→HOCO→H+CO2 potential energy surface have been calculated using the G3 and CBS-QB3 methods. An analysis combining ab initio and experimental enthalpies yielded ΔHf298 K (trans-HOCO)=−42.9±1.5 kcal mol−1 (−43.8±1.4 kcal mol−1) at the G3(CBS-QB3) level of theory. These results confirm the revised HOCO heat of formation derived from photoionization spectroscopy and suggest that the HOCO potential well is 8.8 kcal mol−1 shallower than previously thought. We discuss the implications of these results for accurate Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus modeling or quantum mechanical scattering calculations of the OH+CO reaction. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.