Influence of halogen substituents on sensitivity towards detonation of polycyclic nitroaromatic high-energy molecules

Analysis of molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) on the surface of high-energy molecules is often used to predict detonation properties of these compounds since strong positive values of electrostatic potentials in the central molecular regions are related to the high sensitivity towards detonation. In this work, we combined bond dissociation energy (BDE) calculations with analysis of the MEPs to reveal the influence of the halogen substituents on the sensitivities towards detonation of a series of halogen-substituted dinitronaphthalenes. Obtained results showed that halogen substituents affect detonation properties of the studied molecules by tilting the neighboring NO₂ groups, which results in decreased stability of corresponding C–N bonds. In addition, halogen atoms affect the detonation properties of studied molecules by modifying the positive values of the electrostatic potentials in the central regions of the molecular surfaces.