EFFECT OF INTERACTION POTENTIALS IN DIFFUSION-INFLUENCED REACTIONS WITH SMALL REACTIVE REGIONS

The effect of interaction potentials on the rate coefficients of irrev ersible diffusion-influenced bimolecular reactions is studied, If the region of configurational space where reaction can occur is small, the rate coefficient k in the presence of an interaction potential U is s hown to be simply given by k(0), the rate coefficient in the absence o f the interaction potential, scaled by (exp(-beta U)), the average Bol tzmann factor in the reaction region. For a finite size of the reactiv e region, this relation is generally more accurate for potentials with smaller values of (exp(-beta U)) and, at a given value of (exp(-beta U)),more accurate for potentials that vary less significantly around t he reactive region. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.