DFT calculations on three 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran linked chalcones: Structural, HOMO-LUMO and spectroscopic (UV-Vis and IR) interpretation

Three chalcones with a 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran linkage were analyzed by applying the density functional theory (DFT) and B3LYP approach with the 6-311G(d,p) basis set in this report. Spectroscopic and theoretical analyses were used to examine the structures of these three chalcones. The chalcone molecules' HOMO-LUMO energy was determined. Chemical reactivity parameters and molecular electrostatic surface potential (MESP) plots were obtained to gain useful insight into the distribution of charge density.