Dynamically Hidden Reaction Paths in the Reaction of CF₃⁺ + CO

Reaction paths on a potential energy surface are widely used in quantum chemical studies of chemical reactions. The recently developed global reaction route mapping (GRRM) strategy automatically constructs a reaction route map, which provides a complete picture of the reaction. Here, we thoroughly investigate the correspondence between the reaction route map and the actual chemical reaction dynamics for the CF₃⁺ + CO reaction studied by guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometry (GIBMS). In our experiments, FCO⁺, CF₂⁺, and CF⁺ product ions were observed, whereas if the collision partner is N₂, only CF₂⁺ is observed. Interestingly, for reaction with CO, GRRM-predicted reaction paths leading to the CF⁺ + F₂CO product channel are found at a barrier height of about 2.5 eV, whereas the experimentally obtained threshold for CF⁺ formation was 7.48 ± 0.15 eV. In other words, the ion was not obviously observed in the GIBMS experiment, unless a much higher collision energy than the requisite energy threshold was provided. On-the-fly molecular dynamics simulations revealed a mechanism that hides these reaction paths, in which a non-statistical energy distribution at the first collisionally reached transition state prevents the reaction from proceeding along some reaction paths. Our results highlight the existence of dynamically hidden reaction paths that may be inaccessible in experiments at specific energies and hence the importance of reaction dynamics in controlling the destinations of chemical reactions.