American Chemical Society, Environmental Science and Technology, 22(39), p. 8797-8802, 2005
DOI: 10.1021/es0500714
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The isoprene + OH gas-phase reaction has been widely studied because of its relevance in tropospheric chemistry. However, an unsolved question remains concerning the mechanism for the formation of the observed 3-methylfuran. OH addition to dienes, such as isoprene and butadiene, is assumed to occur only at the external carbon atoms, thus restricting furan formation to a step after addition at C1 and C4. Moreover, cyclization of the carbon chain necessarily involves a cis conformation. In this work, several quantum chemistry methods have been used to model five different reaction paths for furan formation. A mechanism that is highly favored for intermediates that do not undergo collisional stabilization has been identified.