Ab-initio study of structural, spectroscopic and electronic properties of high energy explosive molecules: DFT/TD-DFT calculations

Abstract

This research explores the ground state geometry and molecular properties of FOX-7 and nitroguanidine molecules, with a focus on their spectroscopic and electronic characteristics. Initially, the conformational space of each molecule was systematically scanned using molecular mechanic calculations and the most probable conformer structure was obtained for each molecule. Subsequently, geometry optimizations of molecules were conducted by using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) with Becke’s three-parameter hybrid-exchange functional, which combines the Lee–Yang–Parr correlation functional (B3LYP) method, and the standard 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The theoretically determined geometrical parameters from optimized structure and experimental values available in the literature were compared, providing validation for the structural properties of both molecules. Furthermore, the stability and reactivity properties of both molecules are estimated in terms of HOMO-LUMO energies. Overall, this study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the ground state geometry, molecular structure, and spectroscopic behavior of FOX-7 and nitroguanidine, paving the way for potential applications in various fields of science and technology.