Conformations and charge distributions of diazocyclopropanes

Three diazo-substituted cyclopropane compounds, which have been suggested as new potential high energy Compounds, were studied employing the B3LYP-DFT/6-31G(d,p) method. Geometries were optimized. Distributed multipole analysis, computed from the B3LYP-DFT/6-31G(d,p) density matrix, was used to describe the details of the Molecular charge distribution of the three molecules. It was verified that electron withdrawing from the C ring atoms and charge build-up on the IN atoms bonded to the ring increased with the number of diazo groups. These effects were related to increased sensitivity to impact and easiness of C-N bond breaking in the three compounds. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.