Destructive Effect of Zinc on TEX - A DFT Treatment

Abstract

Various metal components like Al, B, Zr etc., as energetic particles are employed in thermobaric explosives. In composite systems compatibility of ingredients with each other is an important point to be considered. In the present study, effect of zinc on TEX, which is a caged explosive of nitramine type is investigated within the constraints of density functional theory at the levels of B3LYP/6-31+G(d), ωB97X-D/6-31G(d) and ωB97X-D/6-31+G(d). Various quantum chemical properties have been calculated for the TEX+Zn composite and compared with TEX. The zinc atom interacts with TEX molecule via destructive reduction of the explosive. The B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level of calculation predicts cleavage of one of the etheric bond of the cage as well as N-NO2 bond. Whereas, ωB97X-D/6-31G(d) and ωB97X-D/6-31+G(d) level of treatments show cleavage of only one of the N-NO2 bonds. In all the cases the zinc atom acquires some positive charge development.