Quantum-Chemical Studies on TATB Processes

Quantum chemical studies have gained paramount importance in screening of thermodynamically feasible chemical processes. The current investigation attempts to select an appropriate process for the synthesis of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitro benzene (TATB), a reasonably powerful insensitive high explosive (IHE) through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Although, 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene (TCB) and 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene (THB) routes for synthesis of TATB have been well established, this article demonstrates the predictive capability of thermochemical computations for the identification of a viable process. Thermochemical parameters of reaction species have been obtained from DFT B3LYP/6-31G* calculations and feasibility of the process has been worked out on the basis of free energies of reactions and equilibrium constant as derived from standard enthalpy and entropy of the reaction species. The detailed computational studies have revealed that the THB route is thermodynamically feasible and the same has been supported experimentally.