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Tetrazoles are well known for their high positive enthalpy of formation which makes them attractive as propellants, explosives, and energetic materials. As a step towards a deeper understanding of the stability of benziodazolotetrazole (BIAT)-based materials compared to their benziodoxole (BIO) counterparts, we investigated in this work electronic structure features and bonding properties of two monovalent iodine precursors: 2-iodobenzoic acid and 5-(2-iodophenyl)tetrazole and eight hypervalent iodine (III) compounds: I-hydroxybenzidoxolone, I-methoxybenziodoxolone, I-ethoxybenziodoxolone, I-iso-propoxybenziodoxolone and the corresponding I-hydroxyben ziodazolotetrazole, I-methoxybenziodazolotetrazole, I-ethoxybenziodazolotetrazole and I-iso- propoxybenziodazolotetrazole. As an efficient tool for the interpretation of the experimental IR spectra and for the quantitative assessment of the I−C, I−N, and I−O bond strengths in these compounds reflecting substituent effects, we used the local vibrational mode analysis, originally introduced by Konkoli and Cremer, complemented by electron density and natural bond orbital analyses. Based on the hypothesis that stronger bonds correlate with increased stability, we predict that, for both series, i.e., substituted benziodoxoles and benziodazolotetrazoles, the stability increases as follows: I-iso-propoxy < I-ethoxy < I-methoxy < I-hydroxy. In particular, the I−N bonds in the benziodazolotetrazoles could be identified as the so-called trigger bonds being responsible for the initiation of explosive decomposition in benziodazolotetrazoles. The new insight gained by this work will allow for the design of new benziodazolotetrazole materials with controlled performance or stability based on the modulation of the iodine bonds with its three ligands. The local mode analysis can serve as an effective tool to monitor the bond strengths, in particular to identify potential trigger bonds. We hope that this article will foster future collaboration between the experimental and computational community being engaged in vibrational spectroscopy. 

We systematically investigated iodine–metal and iodine–iodine bonding in van Koten’s pincer complex and 19 modifications changing substituents and/or the transition metal with a PBE0–D3(BJ)/aug–cc–pVTZ/PP(M,I) model chemistry. As a novel tool for the quantitative assessment of the iodine–metal and iodine–iodine bond strength in these complexes we used the local mode analysis, originally introduced by Konkoli and Cremer, complemented with NBO and Bader’s QTAIM analyses. Our study reveals the major electronic effects in the catalytic activity of the M–I–I non-classical three-center bond of the pincer complex, which is involved in the oxidative addition of molecular iodine I2 to the metal center. According to our investigations the charge transfer from the metal to the σ* antibonding orbital of the I–I bond changes the 3c–4e character of the M–I–I three-center bond, which leads to weakening of the iodine I–I bond and strengthening of the metal–iodine M–I bond, facilitating in this way the oxidative addition of I2 to the metal. The charge transfer can be systematically modified by substitution at different places of the pincer complex and by different transition metals, changing the strength of both the M–I and the I2 bonds. We also modeled for the original pincer complex how solvents with different polarity influence the 3c–4e character of the M–I–I bond. Our results provide new guidelines for the design of pincer complexes with specific iodine–metal bond strengths and introduce the local vibrational mode analysis as an efficient tool to assess the bond strength in complexes.