Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Leaf Extract as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Carbon Steel in Acidic Solution: Electrochemical, Functional and Molecular Analysis.

An extract of cucumber leaves (ECSL) was prepared as a green corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel. Its carbon steel corrosion inhibition performance against 0.5 mol L-1 H2SO4 was investigated using electrochemical methods and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Its composition was analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) were conducted to elucidate the adsorption mechanism of the inhibitor molecules on the carbon steel surface. The results indicated that the inhibition efficiency increases with its increasing concentration. The extract acted as a mixed type corrosion inhibitor, and its inhibition properties were ascribed to the geometric coverage effect induced by its adsorption on the metal surface in accordance with Langmuir's law. The active components in the extract were identified as mainly organic compounds with functional groups such as aromatic moieties and heteroatoms. The inhibition activities of ECSL are delivered through the ability of the active components to adsorb on the metal surface through their functional groups to form a protective layer which hinders the contact of aggressive substances with carbon steel and thus suppresses its corrosion. This research provides an important reference for the design of green corrosion inhibitors based on plant waste materials.

[Study of the termination of two acrylonitrile radicals and infrared spectrum].

By using the density functional theory, the study of reaction termination mechanism of two (CH3)2 (CN)C--CH2-- (CN)CH was carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The initiator AIBN was used. Reactants, coupled intermediates, transition states and disproportionation products were optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. Then the total energies corrected by zero-point energy, vibrational frequencies and electronic structures were calculated, the transition states structure was also verified. The results show that it forms the energy-rich adducts a through the coupling termination. Then, the disproportionation product P[p1 (CH3)2 (CN) C-CH=CHCN + p2 (CH3)2 (CN)C-CH2-CH2CN] formed via hydrogen shift and dissociation. The reactions of coupling termination and disproportionation termination are all exothermic reactions, and the coupled product has lower energy. The rate constant of step a→TS→P k(298.15 K) = 2.71 x 10(-59) at the normal atmospheric temperature. Disproportionation termination occurs more easily with the reaction temperature rising, so the proportion of disproportionation products is increasing. Also, the analysis of infrared spectrogram of each species in reaction process shows chemical change of free radicals in the whole termination reaction. The authors give the HOMO-LUMO in this paper to verify the accuracy of biradical coupling termination and structures. It has important guiding significance to controlling the free radicals termination methods of acrylonitrile monomer.

[Study on preparation of deoxyrhaponti-beta-cyclodextrin super-molecular inclusion complex and performance of inclusion complex].

To prepare beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD)-deoxyrhaponti inclusion complex by the homogeneous method, and characterize the inclusion complex with ultraviolet-visible spectrum and fluorescence spectroscopy, in order to determine the inclusion rate, the ratio of subject-object, the binding constant of supra-molecular system and the thermodynamic function. The results showed that the designed method was so rational that the inclusion complex was successfully prepared. The ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry method was adoptedto determine the inclusion rate of 38%, and the ratio of subject-object of 2: 1. The thermodynamic parameters of this inclusion complex: deltaH(0), deltaS(0) was all smaller than zero, which indicated that the main acting forces generated by the inclusion complex were hydrogen bonding and Vander Waals' force. deltaG(0) < 0 and deltaG(0) were directly proportional to the reaction temperature, which suggested that the reaction would spontaneously increase with the temperature rise. The polarization fluorescence method was used to quantitatively prove the non-covalent inclusion complex generated during the interaction between beta-CD interacting with DES. The results could also provide reference for studies on cyclodextrin supra-molecular system.

Hydrogen-bonding interactions and properties of energetic nitroamino[1,3,5]triazine-based guanidinium salts: DFT-D and QTAIM studies.

The intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions and properties of a series of nitroamino[1,3,5]triazine-based guanidinium salts were studied by using the dispersion-corrected density functional theory method (DFT-D). Results show that there are evident LP(N or O; LP = lone pair)→σ*(N-H) orbital interactions related to O⋅⋅⋅H-N or N⋅⋅⋅H-N hydrogen bonds. Quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) was applied to characterize the intramolecular hydrogen bonds. For the guanidinium salts studied, the intramolecular hydrogen bonds are associated with a seven- or eight-membered pseudo-ring. The guanylurea cation is more helpful for improving the thermal stabilities of the ionic salts than other guanidinium cations. The contributions of different substituents on the triazine ring to the thermal stability increase in the order of -NO(2)<-NF(2)<-N(3) (-ONO(2))<-NH(2). Energy decomposition analysis shows that the salts are stable owing to electrostatic and orbital interactions between the ions, whereas the dispersion energy has very small contributions. Moreover, the salts exhibit relatively high densities in the range of 1.62-1.89 g cm(-3). The detonation velocities and pressures lie in the range of 6.49-8.85 km s(-1) and 17.79-35.59 GPa, respectively, which makes most of them promising explosives.

Density functional theory study of high-pressure effect on crystalline 4,4',6,6'-tetra(azido)hydrazo-1,3,5-triazine.

Periodic density functional theory calculations are performed to study the hydrostatic compression effects on the structure, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of the energetic polyazide 4,4',6,6'-tetra(azido)hydrazo-1,3,5-triazine (TAHT) in the range of 0-100 GPa. At the ambient pressure, the local density approximation/Ceperley-Alder exchange-correlation potential parameterized by Perdew and Zunger relaxed crystal structure compares well with the experimental results. The predicted heat of sublimation is 38.68 kcal/mol, and the evaluated condensed phase of formation (414.04 kcal/mol) approximates to the experimental value. The detonation velocity and detonation pressure for the solid TAHT are calculated to be 7.44 km/s and 23.71 GPa, respectively. When the pressure is exerted less than 35 GPa, the crystal structure and geometric parameters change slightly. However, at 36 GPa, the molecular structure, band structure, and density of states change abnormally because of the azide-tetrazole transformation that has not been observed in gas phase or polar solvents. The azido group cyclizes to form a five-membered tetrazole ring that is coplanar with the riazine ring and contributes to a larger conjunction system. As the pressure augments further to 80 GPa, the hydrogen transfer is found and a new covalent bond H2-N9 is formed. In the studied pressure range, the band gap decreases generally except for some breaks due to the molecular transformation and drops to nearly zero at 100 GPa, which means the electronic character of the crystal changes toward a metallic system. An analysis of the electronic structure shows that an applied pressure increases the impact sensitivity of TAHT.

Theoretical investigations of a high density cage compound 10-(1-nitro-1, 2, 3, 4-tetraazol-5-yl)) methyl-2, 4, 6, 8, 12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane.

A new polynitro cage compound with the framework of HNIW and a tetrazole unit, i.e., 10-(1-nitro-1, 2, 3, 4-tetraazol-5-yl)) methyl-2, 4, 6, 8, 12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (NTz-HNIW) has been proposed and studied by density functional theory (DFT) and molecular mechanics methods. Properties such as IR spectrum, heat of formation, thermodynamic properties, and crystal structure were predicted. The compound belongs to the Pbca space group, with the lattice parameters a = 15.07 Å, b = 12.56 Å, c = 18.34 Å, Z = 8, and ρ = 1.990 g·cm(-3). The stability of the compound was evaluated by the bond dissociation energies and results showed that the first step of pyrolysis is the rupture of the N-NO(2) bond in the side chain. The detonation properties were estimated by the Kamlet-Jacobs equations based on the calculated crystal density and heat of formation, and the results were 9.240 km·s(-1) for detonation velocity and 40.136 GPa for detonation pressure. The designed compound has high thermal stability and good detonation properties and is probably a promising high energy density compound (HEDC).

A theoretical study on the reaction mechanism of O2 with C4H9• radical.

Ab initio calculations have been performed using the complete basis set model (CBS-QB3) to study the reaction mechanism of butane radical (C(4)H(9)•) with oxygen (O(2)). On the calculated potential energy surface, the addition of O(2) to C(4)H(9)• forms three intermediates barrierlessly, which can undergo subsequent isomerization or decomposition reaction leading to various products: HOO• + C(4)H(8), C(2)H(5)• + CH(2)CHOOH, OH• + C(3)H(7)CHO, OH• + cycle-C(4)H(8)O, CH(3)• + CH(3)CHCHOOH, CH(2)OOH• + C(3)H(6). Five pathways are supposed in this study. After taking into account the reaction barrier and enthalpy, the most possible reaction pathway is C(4)H(9)• + O(2) → IM1 → TS5 → IM3 → TS6 → IM4 → TS7 → OH• + cycle-C(4)H(8)O.

Crystal structure, detonation performance, and thermal stability of a new polynitro cage compound: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15-nonanitro-2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15-nonaazaheptacyclo [5.5.1.1(3, 11).1 (5, 9)] pentadecane.

A new polynitro cage compound 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15-nonanitro-2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15-nonaazaheptcyclo [5.5.1.1(3,11).1(5,9)] pentadecane (NNNAHP) was designed in the present work. Its molecular structure was optimized at the B3LYP/6-31 G(d,p) level of density functional theory (DFT) and crystal structure was predicted using the Compass and Dreiding force fields and refined by DFT GGA-RPBE method. The obtained crystal structure of NNNAHP belongs to the P-1 space group and the lattice parameters are a = 9.99 Å, b = 10.78 Å, c = 9.99 Å, α = 90.01°, ß = 120.01°, γ = 90.00°, and Z = 2, respectively. Based on the optimized crystal structure, the band gap, density of state, thermodynamic properties, infrared spectrum, strain energy, detonation characteristics, and thermal stability were predicted. Calculation results show that NNNAHP has detonation properties close to those of CL-20 and is a high energy density compound with moderate stability.

Theoretical studies on 2-diazo-4,6-dinitrophenol derivatives aimed at finding superior propellants.

In an attempt to find superior propellants, 2-diazo-4,6-dinitrophenol (DDNP) and its -NO(2), -NH(2), -CN, -NC, -ONO(2), and -NF(2) derivatives were studied at the B3LYP/6-311++G level of density functional theory (DFT). Sensitivity was evaluated using bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) and molecular surface electrostatic potentials. The C-NO(2) bond appears to be the trigger bond during the thermolysis process for these compounds, except for the -ONO(2) and -NF(2) derivatives. Electrostatic potential results show that electron-withdrawing substituents make the charge imbalance more anomalous, which may change the strength of the bond, especially the weakest trigger bond. Most of the DDNP derivatives have the impact sensitivities that are higher than that of DDNP, making them favorable for use as solid propellants in micro-rockets. The theoretical densities (ρ), heats of formation (HOFs), detonation energies (Q), detonation pressures (P), and detonation velocities (D) of the compounds were estimated. The effects of various substituent groups on ρ, HOF, Q, D, and P were investigated. Some derivatives exhibit perfect detonation properties. The calculated relative specific impulses (I (r,sp)) of all compounds except for -NH(2) derivatives were higher than that of DDNP, and also meet the requirements of propellants.

Molecular design of new nitramine explosives: 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-8-(nitromethyl)-4-imidazolino[4,5-b]4-imidazolino-[4,5-e] pyridine and its N-oxide.

Two new nitramine compounds containing pyridine, 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-8-(nitromethyl) -4-imidazolino[4,5-b]4-imidazolino-[4,5-e]pyridine and its N-oxide 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-8- (nitromethyl)-4-imidazolino[4,5-b]4-imidazolino-[4,5-e]pyridine-4-ol were proposed. Density functional theory (DFT) has been employed to study the molecular geometries, electronic structures, infrared spectra, and thermodynamic properties at the B3LYP/6-31G* level. Their detonation performances evaluated using the Kamlet-Jacobs equations with the calculated densities and heats of formation are superior to those of HMX. The predicted densities of them were ca. 2 g cm(-3), detonation velocities were over 9 km s(-1), and detonation pressures were about 40 GPa, showing that they may be potential candidates of high energy density materials (HEDMs). The natural bond orbital analysis indicated that N-NO(2) bond is the trigger bond during thermolysis process. The stability of the title compounds is slightly lower than that of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12- hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). The results of this study may provide basic information for the molecular design of new HEDMs.

Theoretical studies on the heats of formation, detonation properties, and pyrolysis mechanisms of energetic cyclic nitramines.

Density functional theory calculations were performed to find comprehensive relationships between the structures and performance of a series of highly energetic cyclic nitramines. The isodesmic reaction method was employed to estimate the heat of formation. The detonation properties were evaluated by using the Kamlet-Jacobs equations based on the theoretical densities and HOFs. Results indicate the N-NO(2) group and aza N atom are effective substituents for enhancing the detonation performance. All cyclic nitramines except C11 and C21 exhibit better detonation performance than HMX. The decomposition mechanism and thermal stability of these cyclic nitramines were analyzed via the bond dissociation energies. For most of these nitramines, the homolysis of N-NO(2) is the initial step in the thermolysis, and the species with the bridged N-N bond are more sensitive than others. Considering the detonation performance and thermal stability, twelve derivatives may be the promising candidates of high energy density materials (HEDMs). The results of this study may provide basic information for the further study of this kind of compounds and molecular design of novel HEDMs.

Computational studies on the crystal structure, thermodynamic properties, detonation performance, and pyrolysis mechanism of 2,4,6,8-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacubane as a novel high energy density material.

Studies have suggested that octanitrocubane (ONC) is one of the most powerful non-nuclear high energy density material (HEDM) currently known. 2,4,6,8-Tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacubane (TNTAC) studied in this work may also be a novel HEDM due to its high nitrogen content and crystal density. Density functional theory and molecular mechanics methods have been employed to study the crystal structure, IR spectrum, electronic structure, thermodynamic properties, gas-phase and condensed-phase heat of formation, detonation performance, and pyrolysis mechanism of TNTAC. The TNTAC has a predicted density of about 2.12 g/cm(3), and its detonation velocity (10.42 km/s) and detonation pressure (52.82 GPa) are higher than that of ONC. The crystalline packing is P2(1)2(1)2(1), and the corresponding cell parameters are Z = 4, a = 8.87 Å, b = 8.87 Å, and c = 11.47 Å. Both the density of states of the predicted crystal and the bond dissociation energy of the molecule in gas phase show that the cage C-N bond is the trigger bond during thermolysis. The activation energy of the pyrolysis initiation reaction obtained from the B3LYP/6-311++G(2df,2p) level is 125.98 kJ/mol, which indicates that TNTAC meets the thermal stability request as an exploitable HEDM.

Comparative theoretical studies of energetic azo s-triazines.

In this work, the properties of the synthesized high-nitrogen compounds 4,4',6,6'-tetra(azido)azo-1,3,5-triazine (TAAT) and 4,4',6,6'-tetra(azido)hydrazo-1,3,5-triazine (TAHT), and a set of designed bridged triazines with similar bridges were studied theoretically to facilitate further developments for the molecules of interests. The gas-phase heats of formation were predicted based on the isodesmic reactions by using the DFT-B3LYP/AUG-cc-PVDZ method. The estimates of the condensed-phase heats of formation and heats of sublimation were estimated in the framework of the Politzer approach. Calculation results show that the method gives a good estimation for enthalpies, in comparison with available experimental data for TAAT and TAHT. The crystal density has been computed using molecular packing calculations. The calculated detonation velocities and detonation pressures indicate that -NF(2), -NO(2), -N═N-, and -N═N(O)- groups are effective structural units for improving the detonation performance of the bridged triazines. The synthesized TAAT and TAHT are not preferred energetic materials due to their inferior detonation performance. The p→π conjugation effect between the triazine rings and bridges makes the molecule stable as a whole. The electrostatic behavior of the bridged triazines is characterized by an anomalous surface potential imbalance when incorporating the strongly electron-withdrawing -NF(2) and -NO(2) groups into the molecule. An analysis of the bond dissociation energies shows that all these derivatives have good thermal stability over RDX and HMX, and the -NH-NH- bridge is more helpful for improving the stability than -N═N(O)- and -N═N- bridges. Considering the detonation performance and thermal stability, three bridged triazines may be considered as the potential candidates of high-energy density materials (HEDMs).

DFT studies on a high energy density cage compound 4-trinitroethyl-2,6,8,10,12-pentanitrohezaazaisowurtzitane.

Polynitro cage compound 4-trinitroethyl-2,6,8,10,12-pentanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane has the same framework with but higher stability than CL-20 and is a potential new high energy density compound (HEDC). In this paper, the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) method of density functional theory (DFT) has been used to study its heat of formation, IR spectrum, and thermodynamic properties. The stability of the compound was evaluated by the bond dissociation energies. The calculated results show that the first step of pyrolysis is the rupture of the N-NO(2) bond in the side chain and verify the experimental observation that the title compound has better stability than CL-20. The crystal structure obtained by molecular mechanics belongs to the P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group, with lattice parameters a = 12.59 Å, b = 10.52 Å, c = 12.89 Å, Z = 4, and ρ = 2.165 g·cm(-3). Both the detonation velocity of 9.767 km·s(-1) and the detonation pressure of 45.191 GPa estimated using the Kamlet-Jacobs equation are better than those of CL-20. Considering that this cage compound has a better detonation performance and stability than CL-20, it may be a superior HEDC.

Theoretical prediction of properties of aliphatic polynitrates.

Aliphatic polynitrates are studied using the density functional theory B3LYP method with basis set 6-31G*. The assigned infrared spectrum is obtained and is used to compute the thermodynamic properties based on the frequencies scaled by 0.96 and the principle of statistic thermodynamics. On comparison of the theoretical densities with the experimental ones, the reliability of this theoretical method is tested. Detonation properties are evaluated using the modified Kamlet-Jacobs equations based on the calculated densities and heats of formation. According to the largest exothermic principle, the relative specific impulse (Is) is investigated by calculating the enthalpy of combustion (ΔH(comb)) and the total heat capacity (C(p,gases)). It is found that the introduction of methylene nitrate group could decrease the specific impulses on whole. Moreover, in combination with the energetic properties, xylitol pentanitrate, mannitol hexanitrate, volemitol heptanitrate, and 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octanitrate n-octane are potential candidates for high energy density compounds.

Looking for high energy density compounds applicable for propellant among the derivatives of DPO with -N3, -ONO2, and -NNO2 groups.

The derivatives of DPO (2,5-dipicryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole) are optimized to obtain their molecular geometries and electronic structures at the DFT-B3LYP/6-31G* level. The bond length is focused to primarily predict thermal stability and the pyrolysis mechanism of the title compounds. Detonation properties are evaluated using the modified Kamlet-Jacobs equations based on the calculated densities and heats of formation. It is found that there are good linear relationships between density, detonation velocity, detonation pressure, and the number of azido, nitrate, and nitramine groups. According to the largest exothermic principle, the relative specific impulse is investigated by calculating the enthalpy of combustion (ΔH(comb)) and the total heat capacity (C(p,gases)). It is found that the introduction of -N(3), -ONO(2), and -NNO(2) groups could increase the specific impulses and II-4, II-5, and III-5 are potential candidates for High Energy Density Materials (HEDMs). The effect of the azido, nitrate, and nitramine groups on the structure and the properties is discussed.

A theoretical investigation on the structures, densities, detonation properties and pyrolysis mechanism of the nitro derivatives of toluenes.

The nitro derivatives of toluenes are optimized to obtain their molecular geometries and electronic structures at the DFT-B3LYP/6-31G* level. Detonation properties are evaluated using the modified Kamlet-Jacobs equations based on the calculated densities and heats of formation. It is found that there are good linear relationships between density, detonation velocity, detonation pressure and the number of nitro and methyl groups. Thermal stability and the pyrolysis mechanism of the title compounds are investigated by calculating the bond dissociation energies at the unrestricted B3LYP/6-31G* level. The activation energies of H-transfer reaction are smaller than the BDEs of all bonds and this illustrates that the pyrolysis of the title compounds may be started from the isomerization reaction of H transfer. According to the quantitative standard of energetics and stability as an HEDC (high energy density compound), pentanitrotoluene essentially satisfies this requirement. In addition, we have discussed the effect of the nitro and methyl groups on the static electronic structural parameters and the kinetic parameter.