Automated Analysis of DFT Output Files for Molecular Descriptor Extraction and Reactivity Modeling

TL;DR

This paper introduces DFTDescriptorPipeline, an automated workflow that extracts quantum chemical descriptors from DFT calculations to build interpretable models of molecular reactivity and properties, enhancing data-driven molecular design.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel fully automated pipeline for extracting descriptors from DFT outputs and applying multivariate linear regression to model structure-property and structure-reactivity relationships.

Findings

Validated across four diverse case studies

Demonstrated interpretability of the models

Showed broad applicability to different chemical systems

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between molecular structure and chemical reactivity or properties is fundamental to rational molecular design. Linear free energy relationships (LFERs), particularly Hammett analysis, have long served as powerful tools in organic chemistry. Recently, these approaches have been enhanced by incorporating computationally derived parameters, enabling broader applicability across diverse molecules and reactions. To facilitate and scale this process, we present DFTDescriptorPipeline, a fully automated workflow for extracting quantum chemical descriptors from Gaussian log files and constructing structure-property and structure-reactivity relationships using multivariate linear regression (MLR) models. We validate the workflow across four case studies, including photoswitchable molecules and catalytic reactions. In each case, the models provide interpretable results, demonstrating the versatility of this approach and its relevance to a wide range of chemical contexts. We anticipate that this platform will serve as a generalizable framework for integrating quantum chemical calculations into data-driven molecular design.