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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1Cite as

Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus

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Synonyms

RRKM

Definition

Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (or simply RRKM) is a chemical kinetics theory allowing the estimation of unimolecular reaction rates from a few parameters of the potential energy surface. RRKM theory is an improved form of the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (RRK) theory in which the rate an excited reactant molecule breaks down is treated as a function of the energy it contains. The RRKM theory was developed from the RRK theory by taking Eyring’s transition state theory, and the way the various normal-mode vibrations and rotations contribute to reaction, into account. The RRKM theory assumes that the rate is proportional to the number of ways of distributing the energy among the internal degrees of freedom of the reactant, in such a manner that the critical energy is localized in one particular degree of freedom. It can be a powerful tool for studying gas-phase molecular reactions, such as those that occur in planetary atmospheres or in the interstellar medium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  2. Institute for Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  3. Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 2800 Woodley Rd. NW #544, Washington, DC, 20008, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  4. Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

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  1. Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II
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Correspondence to Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cleaves, H.J.(. (2014). Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1393-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1393-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus
    Published:
    30 December 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1393-4

  2. Original

    Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus
    Published:
    17 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1393-3

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