Unimolecular reactions Faraday Discussion

100 years of the Lindemann mechanism

This Faraday Discussion will be a hybrid event, allowing participation both in person and online. 

Welcome

Join us in Oxford, or online, in 2022 for this latest addition to our Faraday Discussion series. For over 100 years and 300 meetings, Faraday Discussions have been the forefront of physical chemistry, and many of these Discussions have become landmark meetings in their field. The unique format of the Faraday Discussions allows for in-depth discussions and opportunities to establish new collaborations.
 
The original Lindemann mechanism of unimolecular reactions was proposed at a Faraday Discussion, published in 1922, during an exchange between Lindemann and other leading figures of reaction rate theory (Arrhenius, Langmuir, Perrin) and it is therefore fitting that the current state of the field should be examined a century later in 2022.
 
This meeting is for established and early-career scientists, post-graduate students and industrial researchers interested in kinetics and dynamics, both experimental and theoretical, working on gas- and liquid-phase unimolecular reactions.  Oral and poster presentation opportunities are available to all these groups, and we invite you to submit an oral or poster abstract to make your contribution alongside leaders in the field. Join us to discuss the topic of unimolecular reactions and follow in the scientific footsteps of Lindemann!
 
On behalf of the organising committee, I look forward to welcoming you to Oxford, or if you are joining us virtually, online.
 
Struan Robertson
Chair

Format of the Discussion

Faraday Discussions remain amongst the only conferences to distribute the speakers’ research papers in advance, allowing the majority of each meeting to be devoted to discussion in which all delegates can participate.  Following each meeting a written record of the discussion is published alongside the papers in the Faraday Discussion journal. Find out more about the Faraday Discussions in the video available.
 

Themes

Gas phase unimolecular reactions are central to the complex chemistry of numerous processes, such as those occurring in the atmospheres of Earth and other planets, combustion for transportation and power generation, and industrial manufacturing of advanced chemicals and materials.  Improved understanding of the fundamental chemistry of these processes is a pressing concern not only in the context of atmospheric pollution and climate change, but also designing more efficient industrial processes and fuels that can help attenuate this impact.
 
In this Discussion we will examine the current state of unimolecular reaction experiment and theory, with an emphasis on application to contemporary challenges, such as atmospheric pollution, the search for alternative fuels and the better understanding of industrial processes.
 
The Faraday Discussion will be organised into the following themes:
 
Collisional energy transfer
A critical component in understanding the unimolecular process is energy transfer because of its central role in chemical activation and deactivation by collisions between molecules. This section will discuss the connection between kinetics and detailed dynamics calculations from both experimental and theoretical perspectives.
 
The reaction step
This section will focus on the current state of our understanding of the reaction step. Central to this section will be aspects of advanced RRKM theory, the adaptation of Transition State theory, the statistical theory of reactions rates, to the microcanonical ensemble and unimolecular reactions. Room will be made for alternative formulations of the problem as well as discussion of experiments.
 
The Master Equation
A large number of questions and issues remain over how best to exploit the master equation and how to interpret the results obtained from it. This section will consider challenges for the extraction of effective rate coefficients at high temperatures, two-dimensional master equations and their solution, and the simulation of systems where reactants are far from equilibrium.
 
Impact of Lindemann and related theories
This section will extend the discussion to include papers on new experimental methods, experiments that explore photochemical pathways and results from general kinetics studies. They will be drawn from all arenas including, but not limited to, combustion, atmospheric chemistry and industrial processes.

Oral abstracts

Oral abstract submission is now closed.
A full research paper containing new unpublished results always accompanies oral presentations at Faraday Discussions. The oral/paper abstract should outline current research in progress. Authors of the selected abstracts must then submit a full research paper with a significant amount of new, unpublished work, by 31 January 2022.

The research papers are reviewed upon submission and are sent to all delegates 4 weeks before the meeting so they can be read in advance. At the meeting the presenting author is allowed five minutes to highlight the main points of their paper, and the rest of the time is for discussion. The discussion is recorded and will be published alongside the research paper in the Faraday Discussion volume. 

Poster abstracts

Oral abstract submission is now closed.
Posters are displayed throughout the meeting and a poster session is held on the first evening. The Faraday Division poster prize will be awarded to the best poster presented by a student at the conference. 

As this Discussion is being planned as a hybrid event we will be using a dedicated online poster platform to show all posters. Poster presenters who are attending the Discussion in-person will also need to print and display their poster physically. If your poster is accepted for this event, you will receive an email from us with further information for those attending in-person and inviting you log on to the poster platform where you will be able to upload a PDF of your poster.

Additional Information

All oral and poster abstracts will be reviewed by the committee. Authors will be notified of the outcome of the review process within about 6 weeks of the submission deadline. The abstracts should be no longer than one A4 page in portrait layout. Please ensure you provide the details of the presenting author and indicate whether you are submitting an abstract for oral or poster presentation. 

Researcher development grants

If you are an RSC member and a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher based at a higher education or research institution you are eligible to apply for a Researcher development grant.

This grant can provide up to £500 towards activities that will develop your skills and experience as a researcher, which includes participation at conferences, either in-person or virtual.

Applications are processed monthly, with the deadline for each round being the last day of the month, and decisions being sent out by the 21st of the following month. Researcher development grants can be applied for in addition to Grants for carers and Assistance grants.

Grants for carers

Grants for carers have been introduced following the Royal Society of Chemistry Breaking the barriers report where 78% of chemists working in UK academia felt that managing parenting and/or caring responsibilities has an impact on women’s retention and progression. This fund is not limited to women scientists and welcomes applications from anyone with caring responsibilities. These grants have been supported by The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemists’ Community Fund.

You can apply for up to a maximum of £1000/year to assist with additional financial costs that you incur for care usually provided by you whilst you attend a chemistry related meeting, conference or workshop or a professional development event.

Caring responsibilities are wide and varied, and so each application will be individually assessed, examples of applications that we will consider include:

• paying for extra home help or nursing care for a dependent whilst you will not be present
• additional medical/respite care for a dependent whilst you will not be present
• travel expenses for a relative to travel with you to care for dependents whilst you attend a meeting or event
• paying for extended hours with a care worker/childminder/play scheme to cover time when you will arrive home later than normal.

You are eligible to apply if: 

• you are a chemist
• you will incur additional caring expenses whilst attending a chemistry-related meeting, conference, event or workshop or a professional development event
• you will use these funds to cover the cost of care that you usually provide 
• you are based in the UK or Ireland or if not, you will normally have held three years RSC membership (past or current).

Accommodation for delegates can be booked via ArrangeMy.