Modeling the Unimolecular Decay Dynamics of the Fluorinated Criegee Intermediate, CF3CHOO

When volatile alkenes are emitted into the atmosphere, they are rapidly removed by oxidizing agents such as hydroxyl radicals and ozone. The latter reaction is termed ozonolysis and is an important source of Criegee intermediates (CIs), i.e., carbonyl oxides, that are implicated in enhancing the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere. These CIs aid in the formation of lower volatility compounds that typically condense to form secondary organic aerosols. CIs have attracted vast attention over the past two decades. Despite this, the effect of their substitution on the ground and excited state chemistries of CIs is not well studied. Here, we extend our knowledge obtained from prior studies on CIs by CF3 substitution. The resulting CF3CHOO molecule is a CI that can be formed from the ozonolysis of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs). Our results show that the ground state unimolecular decay should be less reactive and thus more persistent in the atmosphere than the non-fluorinated analog. The excited state dynamics, however, are predicted to occur on an ultrafast timescale. The results are discussed in the context of the ways in which our study could advance synthetic chemistry, as well as processes relevant to the atmosphere.