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

Resonance-assisted intramolecular triel bonds

The possibility that the intramolecular Tr⋯S triel bond is strengthened by resonance is examined by quantum chemical calculations within the planar five-membered ring of TrH₂-CRCR-CRS (Tr = Al, Ga, In; R = NO₂, CH₃). This internal bond is found to be rather short (2.4-2.7 Å) with a large bond energy between 12 and 21 kcal mol^-1. The pattern of bond length alternation and atomic charges within the ring is consistent with resonance involving the conjugated double bonds. This resonance enhances the triel bond strength by some 25%. The electron-withdrawing NO₂ group weakens the bond, but it is strengthened by the electron-donating CH₃ substituent. NICS analysis suggests the presence of a certain degree of aromaticity within the ring.

On the Relationship between Hydrogen Bond Strength and the Formation Energy in Resonance-Assisted Hydrogen Bonds

Resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHB) are intramolecular contacts that are characterised by being particularly energetic. This fact is often attributed to the delocalisation of π electrons in the system. In the present article, we assess this thesis via the examination of the effect of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups, namely -F, -Cl, -Br, -CF3, -N(CH3)2, -OCH3, -NHCOCH3 on the strength of the RAHB in malondialdehyde by using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) and the Interacting Quantum Atoms (IQA) analyses. We show that the influence of the investigated substituents on the strength of the investigated RAHBs depends largely on its position within the π skeleton. We also examine the relationship between the formation energy of the RAHB and the hydrogen bond interaction energy as defined by the IQA method of wave function analysis. We demonstrate that these substituents can have different effects on the formation and interaction energies, casting doubts regarding the use of different parameters as indicators of the RAHB formation energies. Finally, we also demonstrate how the energy density can offer an estimation of the IQA interaction energy, and therefore of the HB strength, at a reduced computational cost for these important interactions. We expected that the results reported herein will provide a valuable understanding in the assessment of the energetics of RAHB and other intramolecular interactions.

Finding the direct energy-structure correlations in intramolecular aromaticity assisted hydrogen bonding (AAHB)

A predictive model for intramolecular hydrogen bond energy (E_HB) calculation of polyaromatic ortho-hydroxyaldehydes based on a set of small, functionalized hydrocarbons is developed. The complete data set of 18 compounds was used for this study. The model is based on one of four optional categories of molecular descriptors: geometric, spectroscopic, bond order and topological indices. The model of Wiberg bond indices (WBIs) as descriptors of the CC involved bond based on stepwise regression has acceptable prediction abilities for 14 structures of ortho-hydroxyformylobenzo[a]pyrene derivatives already at the semiempirical level. The presented correlation enables a significantly more rapid and quantitative description of the hydrogen bonding strength than the much more time-consuming MTA method. Thus, WBIs are shown to provide a reliable means for fast prescreening of the energy of chelate hydrogen bonds potentially for any polyaromatic derivatives.

A new look at two polymorphic crystal structures of dibenzoylmethane: relationship between the crystal packing and the hydrogen atom position revealed by quantum chemistry and quantum crystallography methods

Chalcones, including dibenzoylmethane, are an important subgroup of natural polyphenolic compounds that exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological and industrial applications. Dibenzoylmethane was isolated from Hottonia palustris L. (Primulaceae). The compound was crystallized in two polymorphic forms: in monoclinic space group P2₁/c and orthorhombic space group Pbca. Crystal structures of the polymorphs were solved and refined against diffraction data measured at 100 and 293 K. In both crystal structures, the chalcone occurs in its keto-enol tautomeric form with the hydroxyl H atom mutually bound by two oxygen atoms rather than covalently attached to a particular oxygen atom. To explain this phenomenon in more detail, density functional theory and quantum theory of atoms in molecules based quantum chemistry calculations were applied. Additionally, high-resolution experimental data of very high quality measured for the monoclinic and orthorhombic crystals at 100 K allowed the engagement of the quantum crystallography method, based on Hirshfeld atom refinement, to determine the position of each individual H atom. It is suggested that the presence of the particular tautomeric form of dibenzoylmethane with a centred H atom position results from the π-stacking interaction between the phenyl ring and the malondialdehyde quasi-ring causes delocalization of the electron density in the latter.

Resonance-assisted/impaired anion-π interaction: towards the design of novel anion receptors

Substituents alter the electron density distribution in benzene in various ways, depending on their electron withdrawing and donating capabilities, as summarized by the empirical Hammett equation. The change of the π electron density distribution subsequently impacts the interaction of substituted benzenes or other cyclic conjugated rings with anions. Currently the design and synthesis of conjugated cyclic receptors capable of binding anions is an active field due to their applications in the sensing and removal of environmental contaminants and molecular recognition. By using the block-localized wavefunction (BLW) method, which is a variant of ab initio valence bond (VB) theory and can derive the reference resonance-free state self-consistently, we quantified the resonance-assisted (RA) or resonance-impaired (RI) phenomena in anion–π interactions from both structural and energetic perspectives. The frozen interaction, in which the electrostatic attraction is involved, has been shown to be the governing factor for the RA or RI interactions with anions. Energy analyses based on the empirical point charge (EPC) model indicated that the anion–π interactions can be simplified as the attraction between a negative point charge (anion) and a group of local dipoles, affected by the enriched or diminished π-cloud due to the resonance between the substituents and the conjugated ring. Hence, two strategies for the design of novel anion receptors can be envisioned. One is the enhancement of the magnitudes and/or numbers of local dipoles (polarized σ bonds), and the other is the reduction of π electron density in conjugated rings. For cases with the RI characteristics, “curved” aromatic molecules are preferred to be anion receptors. Indeed, extremely strong binding was found in complexes formed with fluorinated corannulene (F-CDD) and fluorinated [5]cycloparaphenylene (F-[5]CPP). Inspired by the RA phenomenon, complexes of p-, o- and m-benzoquinones with halides were revisited.

Substituents alter the electron density distribution in benzene in various ways, depending on their electron withdrawing and donating capabilities, as summarized by the empirical Hammett equation.

Hydrogen bonding interactions in fluorinated 1,2,3-triazole derivatives

Comprehensive theoretical, structural and spectroscopic investigations on new substituted 1,2,3-triazoles in the solid state.

Magnetic descriptors of hydrogen bonds in malonaldehyde and its derivatives

The nature of the hydrogen bond, HB, as such is still unknown, though a few of its most fundamental features has been uncovered during the last few decades. At the moment, it is possible to obtain reliable results for only a few of its broadest properties, like magnetic properties. They could give new insights into the physics underlying the strength and features of HBs. In this article we analyze the electronic origin of the NMR spectroscopic parameters of malonaldehyde, MA, and some substituted MAs. These substituted MAs are such that the H-bonds are assisted by one of two phenomena: resonance, RAHB, or charge, CAHB. We have studied the dependences of these parameters on two of the main factors which contribute the most to both phenomena, the geometrical and electronic factors, and found out how they can be used to characterize RAHB or CAHB by means of reliable theoretical calculations. We show that in the set of compounds analyzed here (i) the shielding of the proton of the H-bond can be used as a measure of the strength of the HB and (ii) the relation between the contact and non-contact mechanisms of J-couplings between donor and acceptor atoms is a reliable descriptor of whether the H-bond is resonance assisted or charge assisted.

Open-Resonance-Assisted Hydrogen Bonds and Competing Quasiaromaticity

The delocalization of electron density upon tautomerization of a proton across a conjugated bridge can alter the strength of hydrogen bonds. This effect has been dubbed resonance-assisted hydrogen bonding (RAHB) and plays a major role in the energetics of the tautomeric equilibrium. The goal of this work was to investigate the role that π-delocalization plays in the stability of RAHBs by engaging other isomerization processes. Similarly, acid-base chemistry has received little experimental attention in studies of RAHB, and we address the role that acid-base effects play in the tautomeric equilibrium. We find that π-delocalization and the disruption of adjacent aromatic rings is the dominant effect in determining the stability of a RAHB.

Tuning the Strength of the Resonance-Assisted Hydrogen Bond in o-Hydroxybenzaldehyde by Substitution in the Aromatic Ring1

Intramolecular resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs) are stronger than conventional hydrogen bonds (HBs) thanks to the extra stabilization connected with the partial delocalization of the π-electrons within the HB motif containing conjugated formally single and double bonds. When these conjugated bonds are part of an aromatic ring, there is an interplay between resonance-assisted hydrogen bonding and the aromaticity of the ring. The main aim of the present work is to analyze the changes in RAHB strength by substitution in the aromatic ring. For this purpose, we use density functional theory methods to study all possible mono- and disubstitutions in the four free positions of the aromatic ring of o-hydroxybenzaldehyde. As substituents, we consider three π-electron donating groups (EDG: NH₂, OH, and F) and three π-electron withdrawing groups (EWG: NO₂, NO, and CN). We show that it is possible to tune the HB bond distance in the RAHB by locating different substituents in given positions of the aromatic ring. Indeed, certain combinations of EDG and EWD result in a reduction or increase of the HB distance by up to 0.05 Å. Results found can be explained by considering the existence of a resonance effect of the π-electrons within the HB motif.

Nature of Intramolecular Resonance Assisted Hydrogen Bonding in Malonaldehyde and Its Saturated Analogue

The nature of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHB) is still subject of an ongoing debate. We therefore analyzed the σ and π charge redistributions associated with the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in malonaldehyde (MA) and its saturated analogue 3-hydroxypropanal (3-OH) and addressed the question whether there is a resonance assistance phenomenon in the sense of a synergistic interplay between the σ and π electron systems. Our quantum chemical calculations at the BP86/TZ2P level of theory show that the π charge flow is indeed in line with the Lewis structure as proposed by the RAHB model. This typical rearrangement of charge is only present in the unsaturated system, and not in its saturated analogue. Resonance in the π electron system assists the intramolecular hydrogen bond by reducing the hydrogen bond distance, and by providing an additional stabilizing component to the net bonding energy. The σ orbital interaction plays an important role in the enhanced hydrogen bond strength in MA as well. However, there is no resonance assistance in the sense of an interplay between σ charge transfer and π polarization; σ and π contribute independently from each other.

A Direct Proof of the Resonance-Impaired Hydrogen Bond (RIHB) Concept

The concept of resonance-enhanced hydrogen bond (RAHB) has been widely accepted and applied as it highlights the positive impact of π-conjugation on intramolecular H-bonds. However, electron delocalization is directional and there is a possibility that π-resonance goes from the H-bond acceptor to the H-bond donor, leading to a negative impact on H-bonds. Here we used the block-localized wavefunction (BLW) method which is a variant of ab initio valence bond (VB) theory and able to derive strictly electron-localized structures self-consistently, to quantify the interplay between H-bond and π-resonance in the terms of geometry, energetics and spectral properties. The comparison of geometrical optimizations with and without π-resonance shows that conjugation can indeed either enhance or weaken intramolecular H-bonds. We further experimented with various substituents attached to either the H-bond acceptor and/or H-bond donor side(s) to tune the H-bonding strength in both directions.