Tunneling energy splittings of vibrationally excited states are calculated quantum mechanically using several models of two-dimensional symmetric double well potentials. Various effects of vibrational excitation on tunneling are found to appear, depending on the topography of potential energy surface; the symmetry of the mode coupling plays an essential role. Especially, oscillation of tunneling splitting with respect to vibrational quantum number can occur and is interpreted by a clear physical picture based on the semiclassical theory formulated recently [Takada and Nakamura, J. Chem. Phys. 100, 98 (1994)]. The mixed tunneling in the C region found there allows the wave functions to have nodal lines in classically inaccessible region and can cause the suppression of the tunneling. The above analysis is followed by the interpretation of recent experiments of proton tunneling in tropolone. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations are carried out for the electronically ground state. A simple three-dimensional model potential is constructed and employed to analyze the proton tunneling dynamics. Some of the experimentally observed intriguing features can be explained by the typical mechanisms discussed above.

A brief summary of the principal notions of the quantum-mechanical theory of the charge transfer reactions has been presented. In the framework of this theory, the mechanism of the proton transfer consists in the classical medium reorganization that equalizes the proton energy levels in the initial and final states, and a consequent proton transfer via a quantum-mechanical underbarrier transition. On the basis of this mechanism, factors influencing the proton transfer probability, and hence kinetic isotope effect, have been discussed; among them are the optimum tunneling distance, the involvement of the excited vibrational states, etc. Semi-classical and quantum-mechanical treatments of the Swain-Schaad relations have been compared. Some applications to enzymatic proton-transfer reactions have been described.

This change in reaction rate is a quantum effect that occurs mainly because heavier isotopologues have lower vibrational frequencies and, therefore, lower In physical organic chemistry, a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is the change in the reaction rate of a chemical reaction when one of the atoms in the reactants is replaced by one of its isotopes. Formally, it is the ratio of rate constants for the reactions involving the light (kL) and the heavy (kH) isotopically substituted reactants (isotopologues): KIE = kL/kH. This change in reaction rate is a In physical organic chemistry, a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is the change in the reaction rate of a chemical reaction when one of the atoms in the reactants is replaced by one of its isotopes. Formally, it is the ratio of rate constants for the reactions involving the light (kL) and the heavy (kH) isotopically substituted reactants (isotopologues): KIE = kL/kH. This change in reaction rate is a quantum effect that occurs mainly because heavier isotopologues have lower vibrational frequencies and, therefore, lower ground-state vibrational energies, than… Isotopic rate changes are most pronounced when the relative mass change is greatest, since the effect is related to vibrational frequencies of the affected bonds. Thus, replacing normal hydrogen (1H) with its isotope deuterium (D or 2H), doubles the mass; whereas in replacing carbon-12 with carbon-13, the mass increases by only 8%. The rate of a reaction involving a C–1H bond is typically 6–10x faster than with a C–2H bond, whereas a 12C reaction is only 4% faster than the corresponding 13C reaction; even though, in both cases, the isotope is one atomic mass unit (amu) (dalton) heavier. Isotopic substitution can modify the reaction rate in a variety of ways. In many cases, the rate difference can be rationalized by noting that the mass of an atom affects the vibrational frequency of the chemical bond that it forms, even if the potential energy surface for the reaction is nearly identical. Heavier isotopes will (classically) lead to lower vibration frequencies, or, viewed quantum mechanically, have lower zero-point energy (ZPE). With a lower ZPE, more energy must be supplied to break the bond, resulting in a higher activation energy for bond cleavage, which in turn lowers the measured rate (see, for example, the Arrhenius equation). Examination of the β term shows exponential dependence on the particle's mass. As a result, tunneling is much more likely for a lighter particle such as hydrogen. Simply doubling the mass of a tunneling proton by replacing it with a deuteron drastically reduces the rate of such reactions. As a result, very large KIEs are observed that can not be accounted for by differences in ZPEs.