Nieuwland C, Fonseca Guerra C. Chalcogen Atom Size: A Key Parameter in Modulating Carbonyl Compound Properties.
Chemistry 2024;
30:e202304361. [PMID:
38284777 DOI:
10.1002/chem.202304361]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Exchanging oxygen in the functional group C=O (i. e., carbonyl) for the less electronegative Group 16 elements, sulfur or selenium, unexpectedly enhances the electronegativity of the C=X group in π-conjugated molecules and reduces the molecular π HOMO-LUMO energy gap. Quantum-chemical analyses revealed that the steric size of the chalcogen atom X is at the origin of this seemingly counterintuitive behavior. This tuning of the chemical properties of carbonyl compounds by varying the chalcogen atom size in the C=X bond can be applied in many fields of chemistry. This concept article delineates several useful applications in the fields of organocatalysis, supramolecular chemistry, and photo(electro)chemistry.
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