Structural, Electronic, Reactivity, and Conformational Features of 2,5,5-Trimethyl-1,3,2-diheterophosphinane-2-sulfide, and Its Derivatives: DFT, MEP, and NBO Calculations

Abstract

In this study, we used density functional theory (DFT) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis to determine the structural, electronic, reactivity, and conformational features of 2,5,5-trimethyl-1,3,2-di-heteroatom (X) phosphinane-2-sulfide derivatives (X = O (compound 1), S (compound 2), and Se (compound 3)). We discovered that the features improve dramatically at 6-31G** and B3LYP/6-311+G** levels. The level of theory for the molecular structure was optimized first, followed by the frontier molecular orbital theory development to assess molecular stability and reactivity. Molecular orbital calculations, such as the HOMO–LUMO energy gap and the mapping of molecular electrostatic potential surfaces (MEP), were performed similarly to DFT calculations. In addition, the electrostatic potential of the molecule was used to map the electron density on a surface. In addition to revealing molecules’ size and shape distribution, this study also shows the sites on the surface where molecules are most chemically reactive.