On the Nature of Blueshifting Hydrogen Bonds

Blueshift in Trifurcated Hydrogen Bonds: A Tradeoff between Tetrel Bonding and Steric Repulsion

We have quantum chemically investigated the origin of the atypical blueshift of the H-C bond stretching frequency in the hydrogen-bonded complex X- •••H3 C-Y (X, Y=F, Cl, Br, I), as compared to the corresponding redshift occurring in Cl- •••H3 N and Cl- •••H3 C-H, using relativistic density functional theory (DFT) at ZORA-BLYP-D3(BJ)/QZ4P. Previously, this blueshift was attributed, among others, to the contraction of the H-C bonds as the H3 C moiety becomes less pyramidal. Herein, we provide quantitative evidence that, instead, the blueshift arises from a direct and strong X- •••C interaction of the HOMO of A- with the backside lobe on carbon of the low-lying C-Y antibonding σ* LUMO of the H3 C-Y fragment. This X- •••C bond, in essence a tetrel bond, pushes the H atoms towards a shorter H-C distance and makes the H3 C moiety more planar. The blueshift may, therefore, serve as a diagnostic for tetrel bonding.

Valence Bond Theory Allows a Generalized Description of Hydrogen Bonding

This paper describes the nature of the hydrogen bond (HB), B:---H-A, using valence bond theory (VBT). Our analysis shows that the most important HB interactions are polarization and charge transfer, and their corresponding sum displays a pattern that is identical for a variety of energy decomposition analysis (EDA) methods. Furthermore, the sum terms obtained with the different EDA methods correlate linearly with the corresponding VB quantities. The VBT analysis demonstrates that the total covalent-ionic resonance energy (RECS) of the HB portion (B---H in B:---H-A) correlates linearly with the dissociation energy of the HB, ΔEdiss. In principle, therefore, RECS(HB) can be determined by experiment. The VBT wavefunction reveals that the contributions of ionic structures to the HB increase the positive charge on the hydrogen of the corresponding external/free O-H bonds in, for example, the water dimer compared with a free water molecule. This increases the electric field of the external O-H bonds of water clusters and contributes to bringing about catalysis of reactions by water droplets and in water-hydrophobic interfaces.

Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots and Polymer Composite as Dual-Mode Nanoprobe for Fluorometric and Colorimetric Determination of Picric Acid

Oxygen- and nitrogen-heteroatom-doped, water-dispersible, and bright blue-fluorescent carbon dots (ON-CDs) were prepared for the selective and sensitive determination of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid, PA). ON-CDs with 49.7% quantum yield were one-pot manufactured by the reflux method using citric acid, d-glucose, and ethylenediamine precursors. The surface morphology of ON-CDs was determined by scanning transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Raman, infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques, and their photophysical properties were estimated by fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime measurement, and 3D-fluorescence excitation-emission matrix analysis. ON-CDs at an average particle size of 3.0 nm had excitation/emission wavelengths of 355 and 455 nm, respectively. With the dominant inner-filter effect- and hydrogen-bonding interaction-based static fluorescence quenching phenomena supported by ground-state charge-transfer complexation (CTC), the fluorescence of ON-CDs was selectively quenched with PA in the presence of various types of explosives (i.e., 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, tetryl, 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine, 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole-5-one, and TATP-hydrolyzed H2O2). The analytical results showed that the emission intensity varied linearly with a correlation coefficient of 0.9987 over a PA concentration range from 1.0 × 10-9 to 11.0 × 10-9 M. As a result of ground-state interaction (H-bonding and CTC) of ON-CDs with PA, an orange-colored complex was formed different from the characteristic yellow color of PA in an aqueous medium, allowing naked-eye detection of PA. The detection limits for PA with ON-CDs were 12.5 × 10-12 M (12.5 pM) by emission measurement and 9.0 × 10-10 M (0.9 nM) by absorption measurement. In the presence of synthetic explosive mixtures, common soil cations/anions, and camouflage materials, PA was recovered in the range of 95.2 and 102.5%. The developed method was statistically validated against a reference liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry method applied to PA-contaminated soil. In addition, a poly(vinyl alcohol)-based polymer composite film {PF(ON-CDs)} was prepared by incorporating ON-CDs, enabling the smartphone-assisted fluorometric detection of PA.

Importance of water and intramolecular interaction governs substantial blue shift of Csp2–H stretching frequency in complexes between chalcogenoaldehydes and water

Geometrical structure, stability and cooperativity, and contribution of hydrogen bonds to the stability of complexes between chalcogenoaldehydes and water were thoroughly investigated using quantum chemical methods. The stability of the complexes increases significantly when one or more H₂O molecules are added to the binary system, whereas it decreases sharply going from O to S, Se, or Te substitution. The O–H⋯O H-bond is twice as stable as C_sp²–H⋯O and O–H⋯S/Se/Te H-bonds. It is found that a considerable blue-shift of C_sp²–H stretching frequency in the C_sp²–H⋯O H-bond is mainly determined by an addition of water into the complexes along with the low polarity of the C_sp²–H covalent bond in formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The C_sp²–H stretching frequency shift as a function of net second hyperconjugative energy for the σ*(C_sp²–H) antibonding orbital is observed. Remarkably, a considerable C_sp²–H blue shift of 109 cm⁻¹ has been reported for the first time. Upon the addition of H₂O into the binary systems, halogenated complexes witness a decreasing magnitude of the C_sp²–H stretching frequency blue-shift in the C_sp²–H⋯O H-bond, whereas CH₃-substituted complexes experience the opposite trend.

The considerable blue shift of C_sp²–H stretching frequency.

Role of O–H⋯O/S conventional hydrogen bonds in considerable Csp2–H blue-shift in the binary systems of acetaldehyde and thioacetaldehyde with substituted carboxylic and thiocarboxylic acids

The presence of O–H⋯O/S conventional hydrogen bonds in the complex governs a significant blue shift of Csp2–H bonds.

Theoretical Aspects of Nonconventional Hydrogen Bonds in the Complexes of Aldehydes and Hydrogen Chalcogenides

Hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) in the complexes between aldehydes and hydrogen chalcogenides, XCHO...nH₂Z with X = H, F, Cl, Br, and CH₃, Z = O, S, Se, and Te, and n = 1,2, were investigated using high-level ab initio calculations. The C_sp2-H...O H-bonds are found to be about twice as strong as the C_sp2-H...S/Se/Te counterparts. Remarkably, the S/Se/Te-H...S/Se/Te H-bonds are 4.5 times as weak as the O-H...O ones. The addition of the second H₂Z molecule into binary systems induces stronger complexes and causes a positive cooperative effect in ternary complexes. The blue shift of C_sp2-H stretching frequency involving the C_sp2-H...Z H-bond sharply increases when replacing one H atom in HCHO by a CH₃ group. In contrast, when one H atom in HCHO is substituted with a halogen, the magnitude of blue-shifting of the C_sp2-H...Z H-bond becomes smaller. The largest blue shift up to 92 cm^-1 of C_sp2-H stretching frequency in C_sp2-H...O H-bond in CH₃CHO...2H₂O has rarely been observed and is much greater than that in the cases of the C_sp2-H...S/Se/Te ones. The C_sp2-H blue shift of C_sp2-H...Z bonds in the halogenated aldehydes is converted into a red shift when H₂O is replaced by a heavier analogue, such as H₂S, H₂Se, or H₂Te. The stability and classification of nonconventional H-bonds including C_sp2-H...Se/Te, Te-H...Te, and Se/Te-H...O have been established for the first time.

Theoretical investigation on the improper hydrogen bond in κ-carrabiose⋯Y (Y = HF, HCl, HBr, NH3, H2O, and H2S) complexes

The nature of H-bonds in κ-carrabiose⋯Y (Y = HF, HCl, HBr, NH₃, H₂O, and H₂S) complexes was studied. For this aim, the structure of isolated κ-carrabiose was optimized using three global hybrids functional: B3LYP, PBE0, and M06-2X combined with 6-311G** basis set. Subsequently, the κ-carrabiose in the presence of HF, HCl, HBr, NH₃, H₂O, and H₂S was optimized using the CBS-4 M method. NBO analyses were then carried out at the MP2/6-311G** level of theory. A particular interest was focused on C₍₁₈₎-H₍₃₄₎⋯Y bond. The results reveal that the C₍₁₈₎-H₍₃₄₎⋯Y bond is an improper H-bond since a significant contraction of C₍₁₈₎-H₍₃₄₎ was observed during the complexation leading to a significant blueshifted stretching frequency. The NBO analyses have shown that the formation of the improper H-bonds C₍₁₈₎-H₍₃₄₎⋯Y (Y = F, Cl, Br, N, O, and S) is principally due to the increase of the s-character of the hybrid orbital in carbon atom (rehybridization) in κ-carrabiose⋯Y complexes. Regarding the polarization, it was proved that more the H-bond center (carbon in C₍₁₈₎-H₍₃₄₎⋯Y) becomes less positive, the hydrogen more positive, and Y more negative; more the contraction of the C₍₁₈₎-H₍₃₄₎ bond is important. It was also confirmed for intramolecular H-bonds in κ-carrabiose⋯Y complexes that the rehybridization is responsible for H-bonds nature either proper or improper.

Neutron Diffraction Study of Significant sp3 and sp2 C-H Bond Shortening in a Fluorinated Pyridinium Saccharinate

We have experimentally shown by neutron diffraction significant shortening of both sp³- and sp²-hybridized C-H bonds to 1.092(2) and 1.081(1) Å in a hydrogen-bonded crystal of a difluorinated compound, 4-((2,2-difluoroethoxy)methyl)pyridinium saccharinate. Both MP2 and DFT calculations affirmed the C-H bond shrinkages. Sanderson's electronegativity equalization principle provides insight into the shortening of the C-H covalent bond lengths for both sp³- and sp²-hybridized carbon atoms. To the best of our knowledge, this neutron diffraction study has revealed the largest extents of sp³ and sp² C-H bond shrinkages with a 3-sigma rule being satisfied.

Vibrational Spectroscopic Map, Vibrational Spectroscopy, and Intermolecular Interaction

Vibrational spectroscopy is an essential tool in chemical analyses, biological assays, and studies of functional materials. Over the past decade, various coherent nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic techniques have been developed and enabled researchers to study time-correlations of the fluctuating frequencies that are directly related to solute-solvent dynamics, dynamical changes in molecular conformations and local electrostatic environments, chemical and biochemical reactions, protein structural dynamics and functions, characteristic processes of functional materials, and so on. In order to gain incisive and quantitative information on the local electrostatic environment, molecular conformation, protein structure and interprotein contacts, ligand binding kinetics, and electric and optical properties of functional materials, a variety of vibrational probes have been developed and site-specifically incorporated into molecular, biological, and material systems for time-resolved vibrational spectroscopic investigation. However, still, an all-encompassing theory that describes the vibrational solvatochromism, electrochromism, and dynamic fluctuation of vibrational frequencies has not been completely established mainly due to the intrinsic complexity of intermolecular interactions in condensed phases. In particular, the amount of data obtained from the linear and nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic experiments has been rapidly increasing, but the lack of a quantitative method to interpret these measurements has been one major obstacle in broadening the applications of these methods. Among various theoretical models, one of the most successful approaches is a semiempirical model generally referred to as the vibrational spectroscopic map that is based on a rigorous theory of intermolecular interactions. Recently, genetic algorithm, neural network, and machine learning approaches have been applied to the development of vibrational solvatochromism theory. In this review, we provide comprehensive descriptions of the theoretical foundation and various examples showing its extraordinary successes in the interpretations of experimental observations. In addition, a brief introduction to a newly created repository Web site (http://frequencymap.org) for vibrational spectroscopic maps is presented. We anticipate that a combination of the vibrational frequency map approach and state-of-the-art multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy will be one of the most fruitful ways to study the structure and dynamics of chemical, biological, and functional molecular systems in the future.

The Nature of Hydrogen Bonds: A Delineation of the Role of Different Energy Components on Hydrogen Bond Strengths and Lengths

Hydrogen bonds are a complex interplay between different energy components, and their nature is still subject of an ongoing debate. In this minireview, we therefore provide an overview of the different perspectives on hydrogen bonding. This will be done by discussing the following individual energy components: 1) electrostatic interactions, 2) charge-transfer interactions, 3) π-resonance assistance, 4) steric repulsion, 5) cooperative effects, 6) dispersion interactions and 7) secondary electrostatic interactions. We demonstrate how these energetic factors are essential in a correct description of the hydrogen bond, and discuss several examples of systems whose energetic and geometrical features are not captured by easy-to-use predictive models.

Probing Blue-Shifting Hydrogen Bonds with Adiabatic Energy Decomposition Analysis

The physical origin of blue-shifting hydrogen bonds remains a subject of debate, although many plausible explanations have been proposed. Using a molecular property decomposition analysis based on absolutely localized molecular orbitals, we investigated several representative F₃CH···Y (Y = H₂O, NH₃, Cl^-) complexes. We reveal that features of a blue-shifting H-bond already appear on the frozen surface where both polarization and charge transfer (CT) are "turned off", and that the final frequency shift observed depends on the strength of CT. Further decomposition of forces at the frozen level shows that Pauli repulsion is the only component that shortens the C-H bond in the short-range, while both permanent electrostatics and dispersion lengthen the bond. The effects of these forces from the medium to long-range are also discussed. Our analysis provides a complete picture for blue-shifting H-bonds and suggests two necessary conditions for their features to be observed at equilibrium structures: (i) stronger Pauli repulsion than the combination of electrostatic and dispersion forces; (ii) relatively weak CT that is insufficient to compensate for the blue-shifting effect of the frozen interaction.

Remarkable shifts of Csp2 -H and O-H stretching frequencies and stability of complexes of formic acid with formaldehydes and thioformaldehydes

Thirty-six stable complexes of formic acid with formaldehydes and thioformaldehydes were determined on the potential energy surface, in which the XCHO···HCOOH complexes are found to be more stable than the XCHS···HCOOH counterparts, with X = H, F, Cl, Br, CH₃ , NH₂ . All complexes are stabilized by hydrogen bonds, and their contribution to the total stabilization energy of the complexes increases in going from C-H···S to C-H···O to O-H···S and finally to O-H···O. Remarkably, a significant blueshift of C_sp2 -H bond by 81-96 cm^-1 in the C_sp2 -H···O hydrogen bond has hardly ever been reported, and a considerable redshift of O-H stretching frequency by 206-544 cm^-1 in the O-H···O/S hydrogen bonds is also predicted. The obtained results in our present work and previous literatures support that a distance contraction and a stretching frequency blueshift of C-H bond involving hydrogen bond depend mainly on its polarity and gas phase basicity of proton acceptor, besides the rearrangement of electron density due to complex formation. Markedly, we suggest the ratio of deprotonation enthalpy to proton affinity (R _c ) as an indicator to prospect for classification of hydrogen bonds. The symmetry adapted perturbation theory results show a larger role of attractive electrostatic term in XO-n as compared to that in XS-n and the electrostatic interaction is overwhelming dispersion or induction counterparts in stabilizing XO-n and XS-n, with n = 1, 2, 3. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tetrel bonding interaction: an analysis with the block-localized wavefunction (BLW) approach

In this study, fifty-one iconic tetrel bonding complexes were studied using the block localized wave function (BLW) method which can derive the self-consistent wavefunction for an electron-localized (diabatic) state where charge transfer is strictly deactivated.

Hydrogen bonding from a valence bond theory perspective: the role of covalency

A valence bond theory based method has been developed to decompose hydrogen bond energies into contributions from geometry, electrostatics, polarization and charge transfer. This decomposition method has been carried out for F-HFH, F-HOH2, F-HNH3, HO-HOH2, HO-HNH3, and H2N-HNH3. Localized valence bond self-consistent field (L-VBSCF) and localized breathing orbital valence bond (L-BOVB) calculations were performed at the PBEPBE/aug-cc-pVDZ optimized geometries. It is shown that inclusion of valence bond structures that explicitly include charge transfer account for at least 32% (likely over half) of the hydrogen bond energy of all systems studied, indicating the dominant role of covalency. This is in agreement with calculated bond lengths, geometry deformation energies, and polarization energies. Electrostatic effects were found to play only a minor role in contrast to some widely held ideas regarding the nature of hydrogen bonding.

On the Computational Characterization of Charge-Transfer Effects in Noncovalently Bound Molecular Complexes

Charge-transfer (CT) is an important binding force in the formation of intermolecular complexes, and there have been a variety of theoretical models proposed to quantify this effect. These approaches, which typically rely on a definition of a "CT-free" state based on a partition of the system, sometimes yield significantly different results for a given intermolecular complex. Two widely used definitions of the "CT-free" state, the absolutely localized molecular orbitals (ALMO) method (where only on-fragment orbital mixings are permitted) and the constrained density functional theory (CDFT) approach (where fragment electron populations are fixed), are carefully examined in this work. Natural bond orbital (NBO) and the regularized symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) are also briefly considered. Results for the ALMO and CDFT definitions of CT are compared on a broad range of model systems, including hydrogen-bonding systems, borane complexes, metal-carbonyl complexes, and complexes formed by water and metal cations. For most of these systems, CDFT yields a much smaller equilibrium CT energy compared to that given by the ALMO-based definition. This is mainly because the CDFT population constraint does not fully inhibit CT, which means that the CDFT "CT-free" state is in fact CT-contaminated. Examples of this contamination include (i) matching forward and backward donation (e.g., formic acid dimer) and (ii) unidirectional CT without changing fragment populations. The magnitude of the latter effect is quantified in systems such as the water dimer by employing a 3-space density constraint in addition to the orbital constraint. Furthermore, by means of the adiabatic EDA, it is shown that several observable effects of CT, such as the "pyramidalization" of the planar BH₃ molecule upon the complexation with Lewis bases, already appear on the "CT-free" CDFT surface. These results reveal the essential distinctions between the ALMO and CDFT definitions of CT and suggest that the former is more consistent with accepted understanding of the role of CT in intermolecular binding.

C-H···O Hydrogen Bonding. The Prototypical Methane-Formaldehyde System: A Critical Assessment

Distinguishing the functionality of C-H···O hydrogen bonds (HBs) remains challenging, because their properties are difficult to quantify reliably. Herein, we present a study of the model methane-formaldehyde complex (MFC). Six stationary points on the MFC potential energy surface (PES) were obtained at the CCSD(T)/ANO2 level. The CCSDT(Q)/CBS interaction energies of the conformers range from only -1.12 kcal mol^-1 to -0.33 kcal mol^-1, denoting a very flat PES. Notably, only the lowest energy stationary point (MFC1) corresponds to a genuine minimum, whereas all other stationary points-including the previously studied ideal case of a_e(C-H···O) = 180°-exhibit some degree of freedom that leads to MFC1. Despite the flat PES, we clearly see that the HB properties of MFC1 align with those of the prototypical water dimer O-H···O HB. Each HB property generally becomes less prominent in the higher-energy conformers. Only the MFC1 conformer prominently exhibits (1) elongated C-H donor bonds, (2) attractive C-H···O═C interactions, (3) n(O) → σ*(C-H) hyperconjugation, (4) critical points in the electron density from Bader's method and from the noncovalent interactions method, (5) positively charged donor hydrogen, and (6) downfield NMR chemical shifts and nonzero ²J(C_M-H_M···O_F) coupling constants. Based on this research, some issues merit further study. The flat PES hinders reliable determinations of the HB-induced shifts of the C-H stretches; a similarly difficult challenge is observed for the experiment. The role of charge transfer in HBs remains an intriguing open question, although our BLW and NBO computations suggest that it is relevant to the C-H···O HB geometries. These issues notwithstanding, the prominence of the HB properties in MFC1 serves as clear evidence that the MFC is predominantly bound by a C-H···O HB.

The Origin of the Non-Additivity in Resonance-Assisted Hydrogen Bond Systems

The concept of resonance-assisted hydrogen bond (RAHB) has been widely accepted, and its impact on structures and energetics can be best studied computationally using the block-localized wave function (BLW) method, which is a variant of ab initio valence bond (VB) theory and able to derive strictly electron-localized structures self-consistently. In this work, we use the BLW method to examine a few molecules that result from the merging of two malonaldehyde molecules. As each of these molecules contains two hydrogen bonds, these intramolecular hydrogen bonds may be cooperative or anticooperative, depended on their relative orientations, and compared with the hydrogen bond in malonaldehyde. Apart from quantitatively confirming the concept of RAHB, the comparison of the computations with and without π resonance shows that both σ-framework and π-resonance contribute to the nonadditivity in these RAHB systems with multiple hydrogen bonds.

CF2H, a Hydrogen Bond Donor

The CF₂H group, a potential surrogate for the OH group, can act as an unusual hydrogen bond donor, as confirmed by crystallographic, spectroscopic, and computational methods. Here, we demonstrate the bioisosterism of the OH and CF₂H groups and the important roles of CF₂-H···O hydrogen bonds in influencing intermolecular interactions and conformational preferences. Experimental evidence, corroborated by theory, reveals the distinctive nature of CF₂H hydrogen bonding interactions relative to their normal OH hydrogen bonding counterparts.

Vibrational solvatochromism. III. Rigorous treatment of the dispersion interaction contribution

A rigorous first principles theory of vibrational solvatochromism including the intermolecular dispersion interaction, which is based on the effective fragment potential method, is developed. The present theory is an extended version of our previous vibrational solvatochromism model that took into account the Coulomb, exchange-repulsion, and induction interactions. We show that the frequency shifts of the amide I mode of N-methylacetamide in H2O and CDCl3, when combined with molecular dynamics simulations, can be quantitatively reproduced by the theory, which indicates that the dispersion interaction contribution to the vibrational frequency shift is not always negligibly small. Nonetheless, the reason that the purely Coulombic interaction model for vibrational solvatochromism works well for describing amide I mode frequency shifts in polar solvents is because the electrostatic contribution is strong and highly sensitive to the relative orientation of surrounding solvent molecules, which is in stark contrast with polarization, dispersion, and exchange-repulsion contributions. It is believed that the theory presented and discussed here will be of great use in quantitatively describing vibrational solvatochromism and electrochromism of infrared probes in not just polar solvent environments but also in biopolymers such as proteins.

The conformational space of the neurotransmitter serotonin: how the rotation of a hydroxyl group changes all

Serotonin shows a conformer-dependent competition of two polar groups to establish a hydrogen bond with the same H-atom.