Investigação dos mecanismos de reação de H2O, HF e sarin com hidróxidos lamelares por cálculos ab initio

Abstract

Layered hydroxides, including brucite-like compounds and layered double hydroxides (LDHs), present numerous applications due to their properties such as: high thermal stability, ion exchange capacity, porosity and high surface area, electrochemistry, photochemistry and others. The capacity of adsorption and ion exchange presented by these materials make them to be widely used in the removal of anionic species and contaminants. Thus, for example, such materials can be used in the removal of excess fluoride from drinking water, because fluoride in excess can cause dental or skeletal fluorosis, and degradation of nerve agents, like organophosphates that attack the nervous system. This work presents a detailed study of the reactions H2O, HF and sarin with layered hydroxides. Therefore, were used ab initio calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) with periodic boundary conditions and the CI-NEB method (Climbing Image – nudging Elastic band) to calculate the reaction path and the energetic barrier for each reaction involved in the process. The reaction of HF was based on a proposed mechanism consisting of four elementary steps: the adsorption of HF on the surface of hydroxides, the dissociation of adsorbed HF, the desorption of water molecule formed in the dissociation reaction and the formation of the compound M(OH)2−xFx. The results show that the formation of the compound M(OH)2−xFx is spontaneous. This result agrees with experimental works, that predicts as stable the compound formed by replacing OH- by F- in layered hydroxides. Two proposals were analyzed for the formation of hydroxyl on the surface of layered hydroxides. In the first proposal a hydroxyl of the hydroxide lamella migrates to the surface and in the second proposal a water molecule dissociates on the surface of the hydroxides, forming a water molecule and hydroxyl adsorbed on the surface; the latter proposal is more favorable according to the calculations performed. The previous studies were necessary steps for the central goal of the thesis: to study the deactivation of the nerve agent sarin. In the deactivation process of the nerve agent sarin intermediates formed by dissociation and chemisorption of the agent on the surface of brucite were studied. Based on the results of the three cases studied it could be checked that the deactivation reaction of the agent sarin using brucite is thermodynamically more stable than the hydrolysis reaction. Moreover, it appears that water can participate in the deactivation process as a catalyst. This study has happened into the ambit of the Pro-Defense program of the Defense Menistry in conjunction with the CAPES.