Chemical-Reaction Cross Sections, Quasiequilibrium, and Generalized Activated Complexes

Abstract

A quasiequilibrium expression is given relating sums over reaction cross sections to properties of activated complexes. When applied to recent classical‐mechanical computer data on the H+H₂ reaction to test the quasiequilibrium assumption, reasonable agreement is found over the range considered. Suggestions are made with respect to extending the range and to presenting the computer data in a modified form. The latter would permit testing a stronger statement of the hypothesis. The equations are used elsewhere to formulate a statistical‐dynamical theory for chemical‐reaction cross sections.