Statistical Theory of Chemical Reaction Rates

A ``statistical'' theory of chemical reaction rates based on ``scattering theory'' in the strong coupling approximation is presented. The theory is developed explicitly for reactions involving the dissociation and recombination of a diatomic molecule in the presence of an atomic catalyst but is also readily applicable to other reactions. The theory formally includes Wigner's theory of three-body recombination and the classical theories of both recombination and dissociation. A limited comparison with experiment shows reasonable agreement.