Exploring the antioxidant potential of hydroxychalcones: A comprehensive investigation integrating theoretical and experimental analyses

•This study focuses on the synthesis of hydroxychalcones and the investigation of their antioxidant properties.•Experimental antioxidant efficacy was evaluated using the DPPH radical inhibition assay, where compound 1c, which has a para‑hydroxyl group, demonstrated the best antioxidant capacity.•Theoretical analyses helped correlate the experimentally obtained results, with the HOMO analyses showing the same trend in antioxidant activity by DPPH for the tested compounds, in the following order: 1a < 1d < 1e ≈ 1b < 1c.•The voltammograms were also important as they corroborated these results (1a < 1d < 1e < 1b < 1c), demonstrating that compound 1c exhibits the best antioxidant profile among the compounds in the study. Chalcones belong to a class of compounds that hold significant interest in medicinal chemistry due to documented instances of diverse biological activities in the literature. Moreover, their structural framework allows the incorporation of various functional groups, potentially enhancing specific biological activities. This study seeks to elucidate the synthesis of hydroxychalcones and explores their antioxidant properties. To this end, the antioxidant efficacy of the synthesized chalcones was assessed utilizing the DPPH radical inhibition assay. Additionally, electrochemical tests were conducted to estimate and establish correlations between the antioxidant effects. Concurrently, a conformational analysis of the compounds was conducted via theoretical calculations. Next, the conformer demonstrating the highest population percentage for each chalcone was scrutinized for its impact on modulating energy levels in Frontier Molecular Orbitals (FMO). Finally, utilizing these theoretical insights, chemical properties were computed and correlated with experimental data. [Display omitted]