Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations

Li, Yanyi; Zhang, Jiahao; Bai, Mei; Li, Hao; Ke, Zengbo; Zhou, Chunsheng

doi:10.3390/molecules30193975

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Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations

by

Yanyi Li

¹,

Jiahao Zhang

^2,*,

Mei Bai

¹,

Hao Li

¹,

Zengbo Ke

^1,* and

Chunsheng Zhou

^1,*

¹

Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Utilization of Tailings Resources, College of Chemical Engineering and Modern Materials, Shangluo University, Shangluo 726000, China

²

Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Rare Earth Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Molecules 2025, 30(19), 3975; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193975

Submission received: 5 August 2025 / Revised: 30 September 2025 / Accepted: 1 October 2025 / Published: 3 October 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Physical Chemistry)

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Abstract

We systematically investigated the parent anthracene (abbreviated as en-1, C₁₄H₁₀) and three N,N′-disubstituted derivatives: the 1,5-diethylanthracene (en-2, C₁₈H₁₈), the 1,5-divinylanthracene (en-3, C₁₈H₁₄), and the 1,5-diphenylanthracene (en-4, C₂₆H₁₈), using a rigorous density functional theory (DFT)/time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) approach. Following full geometric optimization and frequency validation (no imaginary frequencies), frontier molecular orbital analysis revealed an inverse correlation between conjugation extent and the HOMO-LUMO energy gap. Electrostatic potential (ESP) analysis further indicated a progressive increase in surface potential variance upon substitution, reflecting charge redistribution. TD-DFT calculations yielded vertical excitation wavelengths of 438 nm, 441 nm, 464 nm, and 496 nm for en-1, en-2, en-3, and en-4, respectively. Complementary color theory predicts visual colors of yellow, yellow, red, and orange for these compounds based on their absorption characteristics. This work establishes a closed-loop “computation-spectra-color” model for anthracene-based dyes, providing a transferable design paradigm for novel functional pigments with high molar extinction coefficients.

Keywords: anthracene; DFT; TD-DFT; conjugation extent; color prediction

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MDPI and ACS Style

Li, Y.; Zhang, J.; Bai, M.; Li, H.; Ke, Z.; Zhou, C. Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations. Molecules 2025, 30, 3975. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193975

AMA Style

Li Y, Zhang J, Bai M, Li H, Ke Z, Zhou C. Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations. Molecules. 2025; 30(19):3975. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193975

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Yanyi, Jiahao Zhang, Mei Bai, Hao Li, Zengbo Ke, and Chunsheng Zhou. 2025. "Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations" Molecules 30, no. 19: 3975. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193975

APA Style

Li, Y., Zhang, J., Bai, M., Li, H., Ke, Z., & Zhou, C. (2025). Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations. Molecules, 30(19), 3975. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193975

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Design and Color Prediction of Anthracene-Based Dyes Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations

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