Weak Interactions Get Strong: Synergy between Tetrel and Alkaline-Earth Bonds

Cooperative Effect of Noncovalent Interactions on Tetrel Bonding in Halogenated Silanes

Tetrel bond, a weak noncovalent interaction between the  σ -hole of a Group IV element (Silicon in our case) and the cloud of an electronegative element (Oxygen in our case) is the focus of current work. The percentage strengthening of tetrel bond has been investigated by optimising 16 binary complexes of halogenated silane and water of general formula SiX n H 4 - n  - H 2 O and 16 ternary complexes, of general formula NaX - SiX n H 4 - n  -H 2 O, where X =F, Cl, Br and I and n = 1, 2, 3 and 4 at various levels of theory defined within the formalism of density functional theory (DFT). With the addition of NaX, tetrel bond between Si and O in SiX n H 4 - n  - H 2 O gets strengthened up to 49%, owing to cooperativity effect exerted by hydrogen bonding between X and H in the ternary complex NaX - SiX n H 4 - n  - H 2 O. In the series of complexes studied here, overall stabilization due to cooperativity lies between 10 kJ/mol to 170 kJ/mol. This large extent of reinforcement due to cooperativity has never been showcased before. The exceptional stabilization and reinforcement owe its genesis to the transformation of the ternary complex into a cluster orchestrated by the H-bonding in most of the cases and covalent bonding in few of the cases.

Promotion of TH3 (T = Si and Ge) group transfer within a tetrel bond by a cation-π interaction

The possibility of the transfer of the TH₃ group across a tetrel bond is considered by ab initio calculations. The TB is constructed by pairing PhTH₃ (Ph = phenyl; T = Si and Ge) with bases NH₃, NHCH₂, and the C₃N₂H₄ carbene. The TH₃ moves toward the base but only by a small amount in these dimers. However, when a Be²⁺ or Mg²⁺ dication is placed above the phenyl ring, the tetrel bond strength is greatly magnified reaching up to nearly 100 kcal mol^-1. This dication also induces a much higher degree of transfer which can be best categorized as half-transfer for the two N-bases and a near complete transfer for the carbene.

Enhancement of the Tetrel Bond by the Effects of Substituents, Cooperativity, and Electric Field: Transition from Noncovalent to Covalent Bond

The T⋅⋅⋅N tetrel bond (TB) formed between TX₃ OH (T=C, Si, Ge; X=H, F) and the Lewis base N≡CM (M=H, Li, Na) is studied by ab initio calculations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. Complexes involving TH₃ OH contain a conventional TB with interaction energy less than 10 kcal/mol. This bond is substantially strengthened, approaching 35 kcal/mol and covalent character, when fluorosubstituted TF₃ OH is combined with NCLi or NCNa. Along with this enhanced binding comes a near equalization of the TB T⋅⋅⋅N and the internal T-O bond lengths, and the associated structure acquires a trigonal bipyramidal shape, despite a high internal deformation energy. This structural transformation becomes more complete, and the TB is further strengthened upon adding an electron acceptor BeCl₂ to the Lewis acid and a base to the NCM unit. This same TB strengthening can be accomplished also by imposition of an external electric field.

Comparison for Electron Donor Capability of Carbon-Bound Halogens in Tetrel Bonds

The tetrel bond formed by HC≡CX, H₂C=CHX, and H₃CCH₂X (X=F, Cl, Br, I) as an electron donor and TH₃F (T=C, Si, Ge) was explored by ab initio calculations. The tetrel bond formed by H₃CCH₂X is the strongest, as high as -3.45 kcal/mol for the H₃CCH₂F···GeH₃F dimer, followed by H₂C=CHX, and the weakest bond is from HC≡CX, where the tetrel bond can be as small as -0.8 kcal/mol. The strength of the tetrel bond increases in the order of C < Si < Ge. For the H₃CCH₂X and HC≡CX complexes, the tetrel bond strength shows a similar increasing tendency with the decrease of the electronegativity of the halogen atom. Electrostatic interaction plays the largest role in the stronger tetrel bonds, while dispersion interaction makes an important contribution to the H₂C=CHX complexes.

Noncovalent bond between tetrel π-hole and hydride

The π-hole above the plane of the X2T'Y molecule (T' = Si, Ge, Sn; X = F, Cl, H; Y = O, S) was allowed to interact with the TH hydride of TH(CH3)3 (T = Si, Ge, Sn). The resulting THT' tetrel bond is quite strong, with interaction energies exceeding 30 kcal mol-1. F2T'O engages in the strongest such bonds, as compared to F2T'S, Cl2T'O, or Cl2T'S. The bond weakens as T' grows larger as in Si > Ge > Sn, despite the opposite trend in the depth of the π-hole. The reverse pattern of stronger tetrel bond with larger T is observed for the Lewis base TH(CH3)3, even though the minimum in the electrostatic potential around the H is nearly independent of T. The THT' arrangement is nonlinear which can be understood on the basis of the positions of the extrema in the molecular electrostatic potentials of the monomers. The tetrel bond is weakened when H2O forms an OT' tetrel bond with the second π-hole of F2T'O, and strengthened if H2O participates in an OHO H-bond.

Spontaneous bond dissociation cascades induced by Ben clusters (n = 2,4)

High-level single and multireference ab initio calculations show that the Be₄ cluster behaves as a very efficient Lewis acid when interacting with conventional Lewis bases such as ammonia, water or hydrogen fluoride, to the point that the corresponding acid-base interaction triggers a sequential dissociation of all the bonds of the Lewis base. Notably, this behavior is already found for the simplest beryllium cluster, the Be₂ dimer. However, whereas for Be₂ the first dissociation process involves a low activation barrier which is above the reactants, for Be₄ all the bond dissociation processes involve barriers below the entrance channel leading to a cascade of successive exothermic processes, which end up spontaneously in a global minimum in which the bonding patterns of both the base and the Lewis acid are completely destroyed. Indeed, the global minimum, in all cases, is stabilized by three-center Be-H-Be bonds and covalent interactions between the Be atoms and the basic center of the base, which replace the initial metallic bond stabilizing the Be₄ cluster. As a consequence, in the global minimum the basic atoms (N, O and F) behave as hyper-coordinated centers. Also importantly, the Be₄ cluster and its complexes present RHF-UHF instabilities (not reported before for Be₄), which require the use of multireference methods to correctly describe them.

Influence of halogen atom substitution and neutral HCN/anion CN- Lewis base on the triel-bonding interactions

Triel-bonding interactions composed of Lewis acid TrOHH₂/TrOH₂X/TrOHX₂ (Tr = B, Al, Ga; X = F, Cl, Br) molecule and Lewis base neutral HCN or anionic CN^- molecule are of research significance in bond properties, which has been investigated at MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ theory level. It is also feasible to study the halogen atom substituent effect and influence of different Lewis bases on the formation of triel bond. AIM analyses reveal that Tr (Tr = B, Al, Ga)···N bond critical point (BCP) exists in all studied triel bond. In the formation of triel bonding, compared with Lewis base HCN molecule, Lewis base anionic CN^- can participate in a stronger triel bond. Specifically, the structural change, deformation energy, and charge transfer of CN^- complexes are all larger than that of HCN complexes. In addition, halogen atom substitution effect is also discussed. MEP value and binding energy of HCN and CN^- complexes all increase after replacing one or two hydrogen atoms by halogen atoms (F, Cl, Br) in Lewis acid. Especially, replacing two hydrogen atoms by halogen atoms in Lewis acid has more remarkable enhancement in MEP value and binding energy than that of replacing only one hydrogen atom. After replacement, binding energy can be increased by 21.77 kcal/mol. The neutral and anionic triel-bonded complexes composed by Lewis acid TrOHH₂/TrOH₂X/TrOHX₂ (Tr = B, Al, Ga; X = F, Cl, Br) with Lewis base HCN and CN^- are systematically investigated at MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. The neutral (HCN) triel bonding is weaker than the anionic (CN^-) triel bonding due to the smaller MEP value of the neutral HCN molecule. The replacement of hydrogens (-H) in Lewis acid by electron-withdrawing groups (-F, -Cl, -Br) has a prominent enhancement effect on the MEP value of π-hole and triel-bonding strength.

Significant bonding rearrangements triggered by Mg4 clusters

The structure, stability, and bonding of the complexes formed by the interaction of Mg₄ clusters and first row Lewis bases, namely, ammonia, water, and hydrogen fluoride, have been investigated through the use of high-level G4 single-reference and CASPT2 multireference formalisms. The adducts formed reflect the high electrophilicity of the Mg₄ cluster through electron density holes in the neighborhood of each metallic center. After the adduct formation, the metallic bonding of the Mg₄ moiety is not significantly altered so that the hydrogen shifts from the Lewis base toward the Mg atoms lead to new local minima with enhanced stability. For the particular case of ammonia and water, the global minima obtained when all the hydrogens of the Lewis base are shifted to the Mg₄ moiety have in common a very stable scaffold with a N or an O center covalently tetracoordinated to the four Mg atoms, so the initial bonding arrangements of both reactants have completely disappeared. The reactivity features exhibited by these Mg₄ clusters suggest that nanostructures of this metal might have an interesting catalytic behavior.

Carbon (sp3) tetrel bonding mediated BODIPY supramolecular assembly via unprecedented synergy of Csp3⋯N and Csp3⋯F pair interactions

Here, we present the first example of sp³ hybridized carbon centered (C_sp3) tetrel bonding mediated 3D BODIPY assembly via the exceptional synergy of C_sp3⋯N and C_sp3⋯F pair interactions.

Understanding noncovalent bonds and their controlling forces

The fundamental underpinnings of noncovalent bonds are presented, focusing on the σ-hole interactions that are closely related to the H-bond. Different means of assessing their strength and the factors that control it are discussed. The establishment of a noncovalent bond is monitored as the two subunits are brought together, allowing the electrostatic, charge redistribution, and other effects to slowly take hold. Methods are discussed that permit prediction as to which site an approaching nucleophile will be drawn, and the maximum number of bonds around a central atom in its normal or hypervalent states is assessed. The manner in which a pair of anions can be held together despite an overall Coulombic repulsion is explained. The possibility that first-row atoms can participate in such bonds is discussed, along with the introduction of a tetrel analog of the dihydrogen bond.

Interactions in Model Ionic Dyads and Triads Containing Tetrel Atoms

The interactions in model ionic YTX₃···Z (Y = NC, F, Cl, Br; X = F, Cl, Br, Z = F^-, Cl^-, Br^-, Li⁺) dyads containing the tetrel atoms, T = C, Si, Ge, were studied using ab initio computational methods, including an energy decomposition analysis, which found that the YTX₃ molecules were stabilized by both anions (via tetrel bonding) and cations (via polarization). For the tetrel-bonded dyads, both the electrostatic and polarization forces make comparable contributions to the binding in the C-containing dyads, whereas, electrostatic forces are by far the largest contributor to the binding in the Si- and Ge-containing analogues. Model metastable Li⁺···NCTCl₃···F^- (T = C, Si, Ge) triads were found to be lower in energy than the combined energy of the Li⁺ + NCTCl₃ + F^- fragments. The pair energies and cooperative energies for these highly polar triads were also computed and discussed.

Influence of N-Base and O-Base Hybridization on Triel Bonds

The complexes of TrR₃ (Tr = B and Al; R = H, F, Cl, and Br) with three N-bases (NH₃, CH₂NH, and HCN) and three O-bases (CH₃OH, H₂CO, and CO) are utilized to explore the hybridization effect of N and O atoms on the strength, properties, and nature of the triel bond. The sp-hybridized O and N atoms form the weakest triel bond, followed by the sp²-hybridized O atom or the sp³-hybridized N atom, and the sp³-hybridized O atom or the sp²-hybridized N atom engages in the strongest triel bond. The hybridization effect is also related to the substituent of TrR₃. Most complexes are dominated by electrostatic, with increasing polarization contribution from sp to sp² to sp³. Although the CO oxygen engages in a weaker triel bond, its carbon atom is a better electron donor and the interaction energy even amounts to -37 kcal/mol in the BH₃ complex.

Influence of alkali substituents on the strength, properties, and nature of tetrel bond between TH3F and pyridine

Ab initio calculations have been performed for the complexes of TH₃F (T=C, Si, and Ge) with pyridine and its alkali derivatives to study the influence of an alkali substituent on the strength, properties, and nature of tetrel bond. The introduction of an alkali atom into the electron donor has a prominent enhancing effect on the strength of tetrel bond, which depends on the T atom as well as the alkali atom and its substitution position. The enhancing effect becomes larger in the C < Ge < Si, Li < Na < K, and para- < meta- < ortho- patterns. The interaction energy varies in a wide range from 2 to 40 kcal/mol. Both electrostatic and polarization including charge transfer are responsible for the enhancing effect of an alkali atom. The formation of a tetrel bond results in an elongation of F-T bond and a red shift of F-T stretch vibration, which is big enough to be detected with infrared spectroscopy. Electrostatic interaction is dominant in all complexes, while polarization is smaller or larger than dispersion in the complexes of CH₃F or TH₃F(T=Si and Ge).

Mutual Influence of Pnicogen Bonds and Beryllium Bonds: Energies and Structures in the Spotlight

Pnicogen bonds, which are weak noncovalent interactions (NCIs), can be significantly modified by the presence of beryllium bonds, one of the strongest NCIs known. We demonstrate the importance of this influence by studying ternary complexes in which both NCIs are present, that is, the ternary complexes formed by a nitrogen base (NH₃, NHCH₂, and NCH), a phosphine (fluorophosphane, PH₂F) and a beryllium derivative (BeH₂, BeF₂, BeCl₂, BeCO₃, and BeSO₄). Energies, structures, and nature of the chemical bonding in these complexes are studied by means of ab initio computational methods. The pnicogen bond between the nitrogen base and the phosphine and the beryllium bond between the fluorine atom of fluorophosphane and the beryllium derivative show large cooperativity effects both on energies and geometries, with dissociation energies up to 296 kJ mol^-1 and cooperativity up to 104 kJ mol^-1 in the most strongly bound complex, CH₂HN:PH₂F:BeSO₄. In the complexes between the strongest nitrogen bases and the strongest beryllium donors, phosphorus-shared and phosphorus-transfer bonds are found.

Not Only Hydrogen Bonds: Other Noncovalent Interactions

In this review, we provide a consistent description of noncovalent interactions, covering most groups of the Periodic Table. Different types of bonds are discussed using their trivial names. Moreover, the new name “Spodium bonds” is proposed for group 12 since noncovalent interactions involving this group of elements as electron acceptors have not yet been named. Excluding hydrogen bonds, the following noncovalent interactions will be discussed: alkali, alkaline earth, regium, spodium, triel, tetrel, pnictogen, chalcogen, halogen, and aerogen, which almost covers the Periodic Table entirely. Other interactions, such as orthogonal interactions and π-π stacking, will also be considered. Research and applications of σ-hole and π-hole interactions involving the p-block element is growing exponentially. The important applications include supramolecular chemistry, crystal engineering, catalysis, enzymatic chemistry molecular machines, membrane ion transport, etc. Despite the fact that this review is not intended to be comprehensive, a number of representative works for each type of interaction is provided. The possibility of modeling the dissociation energies of the complexes using different models (HSAB, ECW, Alkorta-Legon) was analyzed. Finally, the extension of Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority rules to noncovalent is proposed.

Xe⋯chalcogen aerogen bond. Effect of substituents and size of chalcogen atom

We have studied the effect of substituent and size of chalcogen atom on the aerogen bond between F₂XeO and R₁YR₂.

Modulating intramolecular chalcogen bonds in aromatic (thio)(seleno)phene-based derivatives

Intramolecular chalcogen interactions have been studied for four different derivatives of compounds within two different families, S or Se, to evaluate the effect of these IMChBs in the stability of the interacting and non-interacting systems.