Estimation of thermodynamic stability and charge distribution for unknown molecules: Nitro derivatives of cubane

Three useful procedures for estimating the thermodynamic stability and charge distribution of moderately complex unknown species are illustrated by the successive nitration of cubane. (1) Five different, but interrelated, energy criteria are employed, which leads to mutually supportive conclusions that overcome deficiencies in any one of the single measures. (2) Mulliken charge and overlap populations can lead to correct bond strength trends if appropriate averaging over bond types is carried out. (3) Lewis—Langmuir atomic charges, an interpolation between the formal charges of Lewis dot structures and oxidation numbers which does not require use of computers, provides atomic charges similar to those from ab initio, wavefunctions. The simplicity of this scheme aids in identifying the chemical and topological origin of molecular charge distributions. Ab initio, calculations for the strain energies and heats of reaction for four different reaction sequences are reported, together with Mulliken atomic charges and overlap populations for the nitrocubanes. Trends in these measures suggest that hexa- and octa-nitrocubane are thermodynamically stable species.