Synergistic and Diminutive Effects between Regium and Aerogen Bonds

Theoretical Insights into Regulation of Red/Blue-Shifting Hydrogen Bonds Through Cooperativity with Regium Bonds

To deeply understand the characteristics and regulation of red/blue-shifting hydrogen bonds (HBs), a theoretical investigation was conducted to explore the cooperativity between regium bonds and HBs in the complexes of Y···MCN···HCX3 (M = Cu, Ag, Au; Y = H2O, HCN, NH3; X = F, Cl). When MCN formed a hydrogen bonding dimer with CHF3 or CHCl3, the blue shift of C-H vibration frequency v(C-H) decreases as the following sequence Au > Cu > Ag, and the red shift decreases following the order Ag > Cu > Au. Upon the formation of ternary complexes, the presence of regium bonding interactions exerts a positive synergistic effect, resulting in the strengthening of the HBs. This, in turn, leads to noticeable changes in the red and blue shifts of v(C-H). In CHF3 complexes, v(C-H) undergoes a decrease in the blue shift, whereas that in CHCl3 exhibits an increase in the red shift. Especially, a transition from blue to red shift is observed within the AuCN···HCCl3 complex. As the strength of the regium bond increases, the trend of shifting from blue to red becomes more pronounced. For a given MCN, the changes occur in the order of NH3 > HCN > H2O. The interplay between two interactions was revealed by the molecular electrostatic potentials (MEP), the atoms in the molecule (AIM), and natural bond orbitals (NBO) analysis. It is revealed that Δv(C-H) is linearly correlated with a series of configuration and energy parameters. We explain the red- and blue-shifting HBs and their changes from the perspective of hyperconjugation and rehybridization. The presence of the positive synergistic effect enhances the hyperconjugation effect, thereby leading to a reduction in the blue shift and an increase in the red shift of v(C-H) within the complexes. This study enriches previous mechanisms regarding red- and blue-shifting HBs and introduces a novel idea to manipulate the characteristics of HBs, with the potential to impact the functioning of intricate systems.

Unveiling the Inverse Sandwich Complexes of XeO3: A Computational Exploration

Our study introduces the design of inverse sandwich (iSw) complexes incorporating a noble gas compound: xenon trioxide (XeO3). Through comprehensive computational analyses, we have investigated the critical factors influencing their stability by employing a variety of state-of-the-art computational tools. We demonstrated that the coordination number of xenon in the iSw complex of XeO3 with 18-crown-6 is influenced by the presence of a rare, weakly stabilizing Xe···Xe interaction between the XeO3 molecules. Furthermore, we observed that the stability of iSw complexes of 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene (TPB) and its derivatives is not solely attributed to aerogen bonding, but also involves contributions from C-H···O interactions and back-donation from the lone pair of Xe to the antibonding C-C orbitals of TPB. Additionally, the significant contributions from orbital interactions and dispersion interactions in the TPB derivatives highlight the multifaceted amphoteric properties of XeO3 and reveal that the iSw complexes of TPB and derivatives are not predominantly governed by electrostatic interactions, contrary to conventional belief.

Can we quantitatively evaluate the mutual impacts of intramolecular metal-ligand bonds the same as intermolecular noncovalent bonds?

In this paper, we have reviewed several equations for calculating the cooperative energy of two chemical bonds between three fragments/species, regardless of whether they are atoms, ions or molecules, and whether the bonds between them are intra- or intermolecular. It is emphasized that two chemical bonds upon cooperation in a new compound change the bond dissociation energy of each other exactly by the same quantitative value, their cooperative energy, regardless of the nature of the bonds or whether one bond is very weak and another one is very strong. However, the final benefit/drawback of weak bonds from this cooperation can be considerably larger than that of strong bonds. The above statements are supported by a computational study on the various types of inter- and intramolecular chemical bonds.

Exploring Unconventional σ-Hole Interactions: Computational Insights into the Interaction of XeO3 with Non-Aromatic Coordinating Solvents

In order to control the explosiveness and shock sensitivity of XeO3 , we have investigated its plausible interaction with various non-aromatic coordinating solvents, serving as potential Lewis base donors, through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Out of twenty six such solvents, the top ten were thus identified and then thoroughly examined by employing various computational tools such as the mapping of the electrostatic potential surface (MESP), Wiberg bond indices (WBIs), non-covalent interaction (NCI) plots, Bader's theory of atoms-in-molecules (AIM), natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, and the energy decomposition analysis (EDA). The amphoteric nature of XeO3 was also explored by investigating the extent of back donation from the lone pair of Xe to the antibonding orbital of the donating atom/group of the solvent molecules. The C-H…O interactions were also found to be a contributing factor in the stabilization of these adducts. Although these aerogen-bonding interactions were found to be predominantly electrostatic, significant contributions from the orbital contributions, as well as dispersion interactions, were observed. The top three non-aromatic solvents (among the twenty six studied) which form the strongest adducts with XeO3 are proposed to be hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA), N,N'-dimethylpropyleneurea (DMPU) and tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA).

Gold(III) derivatives as the noncovalent interaction donors: theoretical study of the π-hole regium bonds

Except for the well-known σ-hole regium bonds formed by metal nanoparticles and M(I) (M = Cu, Ag, and Au) derivatives, the existence of π-hole regions located above and below the Au atom in gold(III) derivatives suggests that gold(III) also functions as an efficient electrophilic site. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the electrophilicity of trichloro-(p-toluonitrilo-N)-gold(III) derivatives AuL3(NCC6H4X) (L = Cl, Br, CN; X = NH2, CH3, CF3, NC, and CN) and the nature of π-hole regium bonds in the AuL3(NCC6H4X)⋯LB (LB = NH3, N(NH3)3, CH2O, C2H2, C2H4, C6H6) and (AuCl3(NCC6H4Y))n (Y = Cl, CN, NC, NO2; n = 2, 3)) complexes. The characteristics of the π-hole regium bonds were studied with respect to the influence of ligands and substituents, the strength of intermolecular interactions between Au(III) derivatives and Lewis bases, and those in the polymers. In the case of the AuL3(NCC6H4X)⋯NH3 complexes, the strength of the regium bonds increases gradually in the order of L = Cl < Br < CN and X = NH2 < CH3 < CF3 ≈ NC < CN. The ligands (L) attached to the Au atom exert a significant effect on the strength of the π-hole regium bonds in comparison to the substituents (X) on the benzene ring. The regium bonds are primarily dominated by electrostatic interaction, accompanied by moderate contribution from polarization. Linear relationships were identified between the electrostatic energies and the local most positive potentials over the Au atom, as well as between the polarization energies and the amount of charge transfer. Most of the π-hole regium bonds in the AuL3(NCC6H4X)⋯LB complexes exhibit the characters of closed shell noncovalent interactions. In the polymers (AuCl3(NCC6H4Y))n, weak face-to-face π-π stacking interactions are also present, in addition to regium bonds. The trimers displayed a slightly negative cooperativity in comparison to the dimers.

Theoretical investigation of tube-like supramolecular structures formed through bifurcated lithium bonds

The stability of three supramolecular naostructures, which are formed through the aggregation of identical belts of [12] arene containing p-nitrophenyllithium, 1,4-dilithiatedbenzene and 1,4-dinitrobenzene units, is investigated by density functional theory. The electrostatic potential calculations indicate the ability of these belts in forming bifurcated lithium bonds (BLBs) between the Li atoms of one belt and the oxygen atoms of the NO2 groups in the other belt, which is also confirmed by deformation density maps and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis. Topological analysis and natural bond analysis (NBO) imply to ionic character for these BLBs with binding energies up to approximately - 60 kcal mol-1. The many-body interaction energy analysis shows the strong cooperativity belongs to the configuration with the highest symmetry (C4v) containing p-nitrophenyllithium fragments as the building unit. Therefore, it seems that this configuration could be a good candidate for designing a BLB-based supramolecular nanotube with infinite size in this study.

Ligand and Substituent Effect on Regium-π Bonding in Cu and Ag π-Conjugated Complexes: A Density Functional Study

Density functional theory investigation of regium (Rg)-π bonding using the RgL-X model system, where Rg = Cu and Ag; L = CN, NO2, and OH; X = π-conjugated system (benzene, cyanobenzene, benzoic acid, pyridine, 2-methoxy aniline, 1,4-dimethoxy benzene, and cyclophane), has been performed. Conclusive evidence of the Rg-π bond has been provided by analysis of molecular electrostatic potential surfaces, Rg-π bond length, interaction energy (ΔE), second-order perturbation energy (E2), charge transfer (Δq), quantum theory of atom in molecules, and noncovalent interaction plots for 42 structural arrangements with varying ligands and the substituted aromatic ring. The Rg-π bond length in the optimized model systems varies from 2.03 to 2.12 Å in Cu complexes (1-21) and from 2.26 to 2.38 Å in Ag complexes (22-42) at the PBE0-D3 functional. While the ligand (L) attached to the Rg metal has a bargaining effect on the strength of the Rg-π bond (in the order of -OH > -CN = -NO2), the π-conjugated systems have a diminutive effect. Two X-ray crystal structures (CUCSOI and AHIDQU) having the Rg-π bond, accessed from Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), are discussed here to signify the influence of Rg-π bonding on the crystal structure.

Xenon Derivatives as Aerogen Bond-Donating Catalysts for Organic Transformations: A Theoretical Study on the Metaphorical "Spherical Cow in a Vacuum" Provides Insights into Noncovalent Organocatalysis

Computations indicate that cationic and noncharged xenon derivatives should exhibit higher catalytic activity than their iodine-based noncovalent organocatalytic congeners. Perfluorophenyl xenonium(II) is expected to demonstrate the best balance between catalytic activity and chemical stability for use in organocatalysis. Comparing its catalytic activity with that of isoelectronic perfluoroiodobenzene indicates that the high catalytic activity of cationic noncovalent organocatalysts is predominantly attributed to the electrostatic interactions with the reaction substrates, which cause the polarization of ligated species during the reaction progress. In contrast, the electron transfer and covalent contributions to the bonding between the catalyst and substrate have negligible effects. The dominant effect of electrostatic interactions results in a strong negative correlation between the calculated Gibbs free energies of activation for the modeled reactions and the highest potentials of the σ-holes on the central atoms of the catalysts. No such correlation is observed for noncharged catalysts.

Theoretical study on Xe⋯N non-covalent interactions: Three hybridization N with XeO3 and XeOF2

The interactions of complexes of XeOF2 and XeO3 with a series of different hybridization N-containing donors are studied by means of DFT and MP2 calculations. The aerogen bonding interaction energies range from 6.5 kcal/mol to 19.9 kcal/mol between XeO3 or XeOF2 and typical N-containing donors. The sequence of interaction for N-containing hybridization is sp3>sp2>sp, and XeO3 is higher than XeOF2. For some donors of sp2 and sp3 hybridization, the steric effect plays a minor role in the interaction with the evidence of reduced density gradient plots. The dominant stable part is the electrostatic interaction. In complex of XeO3, the weight of polarization is larger than dispersion, while the situation is opposite for XeOF2 complexes. Except for the sum of the maximum value of molecular electrostatic potential on Xe atom and minimum value of molecular electrostatic potential on N atom, the otherfive interaction parameters including the potential energy density at bond critical point, the equilibrium distances, interaction energies with the basis set superposition error correction, localized molecular orbital energy decomposition analysis interaction energies, and the electron charge density, show great linear correlation coefficients with each other.

Substituent effects in π-hole regium bonding interactions between Au(p-X-Py)2 complexes and Lewis bases: an ab initio study

For the first time, long range substituent effects in regium bonding interactions involving Au(I) linear complexes are investigated. The Au(I) atom is coordinated to two para -substituted pyridine ligands. The interaction energy (RI-MP2/def2-TZVP level of theory) of the π-hole regium bonding assemblies is affected by the pyridine substitution. The Hammett's plot representations for several sets of Lewis bases have been carried out and, in all cases, good regression plots have been obtained (interaction energies vs. Hammett's σ parameter). The Bader's theory of "atoms-in-molecules" has been used to evidence that the electron density computed at the bond critical point that connects the Au-atom to the electron donor can be used as a measure of bond order in regium bonding. Several X-ray structures retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) provide some experimental support to the existence of regium π-hole bonding in [Au(Py) 2 ] + derivatives.

Theoretical investigation on the nature of substituted benzene⋯AuX interactions: covalent or noncovalent?

The nature of interactions between AuX (X = F, Cl, Br, CN, NO2, CH3) and aromatic moieties with different electronic properties has been investigated for possible tuning of coinage–metal bonds by varying the substituents.

On the nature of recurrent Au⋯π motifs in tris(2,2'-bipyridine)M(II) (M = Fe, Co and Ni) dicyanoaurate(I) salts: X-ray analysis and theoretical rationalization

This manuscript reports the synthesis, X-ray characterization and DFT study of three new [M(bipy)₃]₂[Au(CN)₂]₃(X) (M = Fe, Co, and Ni; bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine; X = anion) ionic compounds. These salts are composed of [M(bipy)₃]²⁺ dications and [Au(CN)₂]^- anions in a 2 : 3 ratio. The positive charge is compensated by X = Cl^- anions in compounds 1 (M = Fe) and 2 (M = Co) and X = OH^- in 3 (M = Ni). The three tridentate bipyridine ligands define the coordination of the M²⁺ cation, resulting in a nearly octahedral coordination sphere. The linear dicyanoaurate(I) anions are completely surrounded by a cradle of aromatic rings with Au-ring centroid distances below the sum of van der Waals radii, evidencing the existence of a specific Au⋯π attraction. This interaction has been analyzed in terms of the role of the Au-atom (Lewis acid or Lewis base) using DFT calculations combined with the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), noncovalent interaction plot index (NCIplot) and natural bond orbital (NBO) computational tools. The NBO suggests that the Au⋯π interaction is an example of a coinage bond in spite of the anionic nature of the acceptor and the cationic nature of the donor.

Unprecedented [d9]Cu[d10]Au coinage bonding interactions in {Cu(NH3)4[Au(CN)2]}+[Au(CN)2]- salt

The X-ray structure of the {Cu(NH₃)₄[Au(CN)₂]}⁺[Au(CN)₂]^- salt is reported showing an unprecedented [d⁹]Cu[d¹⁰]Au coinage bond. The physical nature of the interaction has been studied using DFT calculations, including the quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules, the noncovalent interaction plot and the natural bond orbital analysis, revealing the nucleophilic role of the [d¹⁰]Au metal and the electrophilic role of [d⁹]Cu metal.

Anion⋅⋅⋅Anion Coinage Bonds: The Case of Tetrachloridoaurate

Interactions in crystalline tetrachloridoaurates of acetylcholine and dimethylpropiothetine are characterized by Au⋅⋅⋅Cl and Au⋅⋅⋅O short contacts. The former interactions assemble the AuCl4 - units into supramolecular anionic polymers, while the latter interactions append the acetylcholine and propiothetine units to the polymer. The distorted octahedral geometry of the bonding pattern around the gold center is rationalized on the basis of the anisotropic distribution of the electron density, which enables gold to behave as an electrophile (π-hole coinage-bond donor). Computational studies prove that gold atoms in negatively charged species can function as acceptors of electron density. The attractive nature of the Au⋅⋅⋅Cl/O interactions described here complement the known aurophilic bonds involved in gold-centered interactions.

σ-Hole and σ-lump interactions between gold clusters Aun (n = 2-8) and benzene

In this study, the non-covalent interactions between gold cluster and benzene have been evaluated at the PBE0-D3/def2-TZVP level of theory. Gold clusters Au_n (n = 2-8) were used as σ-hole and σ-lump donors, and benzene was the corresponding electron-donating and -accepting molecule. The molecular electrostatic potential of Au clusters was analyzed, and the optimized structures and interaction energies of the Au_n (n = 2-8) Bz complexes with σ-hole or σ-lump interaction were studied. Strong σ-hole and relative weak σ-lump interactions exist between Au cluster and benzene. With the help of atoms-in-molecules analysis and plotting of non-covalent interaction map, the interaction zones of the complexes were found out. The nature of these interactions was revealed through energy decomposition analysis by using the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory. σ-Hole interactions are dominated by electrostatic interaction, while σ-lump interactions are mainly driven by dispersion. This study can enrich the knowledge of interaction between Au cluster and π-systems and design of new materials based on coinage metal of σ-hole and σ-lump interactions.

Anion-Anion Interactions in Aerogen-Bonded Complexes. Influence of Solvent Environment

Ab initio calculations are applied to the question as to whether a AeX₅^- anion (Ae = Kr, Xe) can engage in a stable complex with another anion: F^-, Cl^-, or CN^-. The latter approaches the central Ae atom from above the molecular plane, along its C₅ axis. While the electrostatic repulsion between the two anions prevents their association in the gas phase, immersion of the system in a polar medium allows dimerization to proceed. The aerogen bond is a weak one, with binding energies less than 2 kcal/mol, even in highly polar aqueous solvent. The complexes are metastable in the less polar solvents THF and DMF, with dissociation opposed by a small energy barrier.

Noncovalent Bonds through Sigma and Pi-Hole Located on the Same Molecule. Guiding Principles and Comparisons

Over the last years, scientific interest in noncovalent interactions based on the presence of electron-depleted regions called σ-holes or π-holes has markedly accelerated. Their high directionality and strength, comparable to hydrogen bonds, has been documented in many fields of modern chemistry. The current review gathers and digests recent results concerning these bonds, with a focus on those systems where both σ and π-holes are present on the same molecule. The underlying principles guiding the bonding in both sorts of interactions are discussed, and the trends that emerge from recent work offer a guide as to how one might design systems that allow multiple noncovalent bonds to occur simultaneously, or that prefer one bond type over another.