An expanded halogen bonding scale using astatine

As a non-covalent interaction, halogen bonding is now acknowledged to be useful in all fields where the control of intermolecular recognition plays a pivotal role. Halogen-bond basicity scales allow quantification of the halogen bonding of referential donors with organic functional groups from a thermodynamic point of view. Herein we present the pK_BAtI basicity scale to provide the community an overview of halogen-bond acceptor strength towards astatine, the most potent halogen-bond donor element. This experimental scale is erected on the basis of complexation constants measured between astatine monoiodide (AtI) and sixteen selected Lewis bases. It spans over 6 log units and culminates with a value of 5.69 ± 0.32 for N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylthiourea. On this scale, the carbon π-bases are the weakest acceptors, the oxygen derivatives cover almost two-thirds of the scale, and sulphur bases exhibit the highest AtI basicity. Regarding the applications of ²¹¹At in targeted radionuclide therapy, stronger labelling of carrier agents could be envisaged on the basis of the pK_BAtI scale.

Based on the halogen bonding between astatine monoiodide (AtI) and 16 Lewis bases, the newly established pK_BAtI scale indicates that the halogen bond basicity of AtI follows the order C ≤ O ≤ S ≈ Se for the acceptor atomic site.     

Comparative Study of Halogen‐ and Hydrogen‐Bond Interactions between Benzene Derivatives and Dimethyl Sulfoxide

The halogen bond, similar to the hydrogen bond, is an important noncovalent interaction and plays important roles in diverse chemistry‐related fields. Herein, bromine‐ and iodine‐based halogen‐bonding interactions between two benzene derivatives (C₆F₅Br and C₆F₅I) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are investigated by using IR and NMR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The results are compared with those of interactions between C₆F₅Cl/C₆F₅H and DMSO. First, the interaction energy of the hydrogen bond is stronger than those of bromine‐ and chlorine‐based halogen bonds, but weaker than iodine‐based halogen bond. Second, attractive energies depend on 1/rⁿ, in which n is between three and four for both hydrogen and halogen bonds, whereas all repulsive energies are found to depend on 1/r^8.5. Third, the directionality of halogen bonds is greater than that of the hydrogen bond. The bromine‐ and iodine‐based halogen bonds are strict in this regard and the chlorine‐based halogen bond only slightly deviates from 180°. The directional order is iodine‐based halogen bond>bromine‐based halogen bond>chlorine‐based halogen bond>hydrogen bond. Fourth, upon the formation of hydrogen and halogen bonds, charge transfers from DMSO to the hydrogen‐ and halogen‐bond donors. The CH₃ group contributes positively to stabilization of the complexes.     

Imines in the Titanium Coordination Sphere – Transformation of Imidoyl Chlorides to Nitrilium Ions

In the reaction of TiCl₄ in benzene as solvent with the imidoyl chloride p‐Tolyl(Cl)C=NPh ( 1 ) the abstraction of the chloride substituent is observed, leading to the nitrilium salt [p‐Tolyl–C≡N–Ph]⁺[Ti₂Cl₉]^– ( 2 ) in quantitative yield. The highly electrophilic salt 2 is characterized by IR‐ and NMR spectroscopy. The observed band for the C≡N stretching mode of 2 clearly indicates the formation of a nitrilium ion. Especially a characteristic line broadening of the ¹³C{¹H}‐NMR signals related to carbon atoms next to the nitrogen is observed. By ¹⁵N,¹H‐HMBC NMR experiments it is shown that the nitrogen signal of 2 is significantly shifted to high‐field in relation to nitriles and imines. The molecular structure of 2 was confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The C≡N bond length and the linearity of the C–C≡N–C unit in 2 confirm the triple bond character of this bond.     

Tuning the Halogen/Hydrogen Bond Competition: A Spectroscopic and Conceptual DFT Study of Some Model Complexes Involving CHF2I

Insight into the key factors driving the competition of halogen and hydrogen bonds is obtained by studying the affinity of the Lewis bases trimethylamine (TMA), dimethyl ether (DME), and methyl fluoride (MF) towards difluoroiodomethane (CHF₂I). Analysis of the infrared and Raman spectra of solutions in liquid krypton containing mixtures of TMA and CHF₂I and of DME and CHF₂I reveals that for these Lewis bases hydrogen and halogen‐bonded complexes appear simultaneously. In contrast, only a hydrogen‐bonded complex is formed for the mixtures of CHF₂I and MF. The complexation enthalpies for the C?H ??? Y hydrogen‐bonded complexes with TMA, DME, and MF are determined to be ?14.7(2), ?10.5(5) and ?5.1(6) kJ mol^?1, respectively. The values for the C?I ??? Y halogen‐bonded isomers are ?19.0(3) kJ mol^?1 for TMA and ?9.9(8) kJ mol^?1 for DME. Generalization of the observed trends suggests that, at least for the bases studied here, softer Lewis bases such as TMA favor halogen bonding, whereas harder bases such as MF show a substantial preference for hydrogen bonding.     

Cooperativity between the Halogen Bond and the Hydrogen Bond in H3N⋅⋅⋅XY⋅⋅⋅HF Complexes (X,Y=F,Cl, Br)

Ab initio calculations are used to provide information on H₃N???XY???HF triads (X, Y=F, Cl, Br) each having a halogen bond and a hydrogen bond. The investigated triads include H₃N???Br₂‐HF, H₃N???Cl₂???HF, H₃N???BrCI???HF, H₃N???BrF???HF, and H₃N???ClF???HF. To understand the properties of the systems better, the corresponding dyads are also investigated. Molecular geometries, binding energies, and infrared spectra of monomers, dyads, and triads are studied at the MP2 level of theory with the 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set. Because the primary aim of this study is to examine cooperative effects, particular attention is given to parameters such as cooperative energies, many‐body interaction energies, and cooperativity factors. The cooperative energy ranges from ?1.45 to ?4.64 kcal mol^?1, the three‐body interaction energy from ?2.17 to ?6.71 kcal mol^?1, and the cooperativity factor from 1.27 to 4.35. These results indicate significant cooperativity between the halogen and hydrogen bonds in these complexes. This cooperativity is much greater than that between hydrogen bonds. The effect of a halogen bond on a hydrogen bond is more pronounced than that of a hydrogen bond on a halogen bond.     

Basicity of Very Weak Bases in 1,2‐Dichloroethane

The basicity scale of very weak bases has been set up in 1,2‐dichloroethane to give, for the first time, reliable quantitative insights into the basic properties of weak bases in a low‐polarity solvent. The scale contains 30 compounds, including anilines; phosphanes, and carbonyl bases, such as esters and amides, linked by 53 relative basicity measurements. The scale spans more than 12 pK_ip units, expanding to as low pK_ip values as possible with our current experimental methodology.     

Strong N−X⋅⋅⋅O−N Halogen Bonds: A Comprehensive Study on N‐Halosaccharin Pyridine N‐Oxide Complexes

A study of the strong N?X???^?O?N⁺ (X=I, Br) halogen bonding interactions reports 2×27 donor×acceptor complexes of N‐halosaccharins and pyridine N‐oxides (PyNO). DFT calculations were used to investigate the X???O halogen bond (XB) interaction energies in 54 complexes. A simplified computationally fast electrostatic model was developed for predicting the X???O XBs. The XB interaction energies vary from ?47.5 to ?120.3 kJ mol^?1; the strongest N?I???^?O?N⁺ XBs approaching those of 3‐center‐4‐electron [N?I?N]⁺ halogen‐bonded systems (ca. 160 kJ mol^?1). ¹H NMR association constants (K_XB) determined in CDCl₃ and [D₆]acetone vary from 2.0×10⁰ to >10⁸ m ^?1 and correlate well with the calculated donor×acceptor complexation enthalpies found between ?38.4 and ?77.5 kJ mol^?1. In X‐ray crystal structures, the N‐iodosaccharin‐PyNO complexes manifest short interaction ratios (R_XB) between 0.65–0.67 for the N?I???^?O?N⁺ halogen bond.     

Charge‐Assisted Halogen Bonding: Donor–Acceptor Complexes with Variable Ionicity

Charge‐assisted halogen bonding is unambiguously revealed from structural and electronic investigations of a series of isostructural charge‐transfer complexes derived from iodinated tetrathiafulvalene and tetracyanoquinodimethane derivatives, (EDT‐TTFI₂)₂(TCNQF_n), n=0–2, which exhibit variable degrees of ionicity. The iodinated tetrathiafulvalene derivative, EDT‐TTFI₂, associates with tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and its derivatives of increasing reduction potential (TCNQF, TCNQF₂) through highly directional C? I???N≡C halogen‐bond interactions. With the less oxidizing TCNQ acceptor, a neutral and insulating charge‐transfer complex is isolated whereas with the more oxidizing TCNQF₂ acceptor, an ionic, highly conducting charge‐transfer salt is found, both of 2:1 stoichiometry and isostructural with the intermediate TCNQF complex, in which a neutral–ionic conversion takes place upon cooling. A correlation between the degree of charge transfer and the C? I???N≡C halogen‐bond strength is established from the comparison of the structures of the three isostructural complexes at temperatures from 300 to 20 K, thus demonstrating the importance of electrostatics in the halogen‐bonding interaction. The neutral–ionic conversion in (EDT‐TTFI₂)₂(TCNQF) is further investigated through the temperature dependence of its magnetic susceptibility and the stretching modes of the C≡N groups.     

Nature of MoH···I bonds in Cp2Mo(L)H···I‐C≡C‐R Complexes (L=H,CN, PPh2, C(CH3)3; R=NO2, Cl,Br, H,OH, CH3, NH2)

The nature of the MoH···I bond in Cp₂Mo(L)H···I‐C≡C‐R (L= H, CN, PPh₂, C(CH₃)₃; R=NO₂, Cl, Br, H, OH, CH₃, NH₂) was investigated using electrostatic potential analysis, topological analysis of the electron density, energy decomposition analysis and natural bond orbital analysis. The calculated results show that MoH···I interactions in the title complexes belong to halogen‐hydride bond, which is similar to halogen bonds, not hydrogen bonds. Different to the classical halogen bonds, the directionality of MoH···I bond is low; Although electrostatic interaction is dorminant, the orbital interactions also play important roles in this kind of halogen bond, and steric interactions are weak; the strength of H···I bond can tuned by the most positive electrostatic potential of the I atom. As the electron‐withdrawing ability of the R substituent in the alkyne increases, the electrostatic potential maximum of the I atom increases, which enhances the strength of the H···I halogen bond, as well as the electron transfer.     

Theoretical study on the interactions of halogen‐bonds and pnicogen‐bonds in phosphine derivatives with Br2, BrCl,and BrF

The MP2 ab initio quantum chemistry methods were utilized to study the halogen‐bond and pnicogen‐bond system formed between PH₂X (X = Br, CH₃, OH, CN, NO₂, CF₃) and BrY (Y = Br, Cl, F). Calculated results show that all substituent can form halogen‐bond complexes while part substituent can form pnicogen‐bond complexes. Traditional, chlorine‐shared and ion‐pair halogen‐bonds complexes have been found with the different substituent X and Y. The halogen‐bonds are stronger than the related pnicogen‐bonds. For halogen‐bonds, strongly electronegative substituents which are connected to the Lewis acid can strengthen the bonds and significantly influenced the structures and properties of the compounds. In contrast, the substituents which connected to the Lewis bases can produce opposite effects. The interaction energies of halogen‐bonds are 2.56 to 32.06 kcal·mol^?1; The strongest halogen‐bond was found in the complex of PH₂OH???BrF. The interaction energies of pnicogen‐bonds are in the range 1.20 to 2.28 kcal·mol^?1; the strongest pnicogen‐bond was found in PH₂Br???Br₂ complex. The charge transfer of lp(P) ? σ*(Br? Y), lp(F) ? σ*(Br? P), and lp(Br) ? σ*(X? P) play important roles in the formation of the halogen‐bonds and pnicogen‐bonds, which lead to polarization of the monomers. The polarization caused by the halogen‐bond is more obvious than that by the pnicogen‐bond, resulting in that some halogen‐bonds having little covalent character. The symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) energy decomposition analysis showes that the halogen‐bond and pnicogen‐bond interactions are predominantly electrostatic and dispersion, respectively.     

The competition of Y⋯o and X⋯n halogen bonds to enhance the group V σ‐hole interaction in the NCY⋯oPH3⋯NCX and OPH3⋯NCX⋯NCY (X,YF,Cl, and Br) complexes

The positive electrostatic potentials (ESP) outside the σ‐hole along the extension of O? P bond in O?PH₃ and the negative ESP outside the nitrogen atom along the extension of the C? N bond in NCX could form the Group V σ‐hole interaction O?PH₃?NCX. In this work, the complexes NCY?O?PH₃?NCX and O?PH₃?NCX?NCY (X, Y?F, Cl, Br) were designed to investigate the enhancing effects of Y?O and X?N halogen bonds on the P?N Group V σ‐hole interaction. With the addition of Y?O halogen bond, the V _{S, max} values outside the σ‐hole region of O?PH₃ becomes increasingly positive resulting in a stronger and more polarizable P?N interaction. With the addition of X?N halogen bond, the V _{S, min} values outside the nitrogen atom of NCX becomes increasingly negative, also resulting in a stronger and more polarizable P?N interaction. The Y?O halogen bonds affect the σ‐hole region (decreased density region) outside the phosphorus atom more than the P?N internuclear region (increased density region outside the nitrogen atom), while it is contrary for the X?N halogen bonds. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cocrystal Assembled by 1,2-Diiodotetrafluorobenzene and Acridine via C-I…N Halogen Bond and Tr-hole…F Bonds

The concepts on o-hole and ~-hole bonds are suggested. A cocrystal with repeated 8-F-atom unit as basic struc- tural motif is assembled based on bifurcated C-I…N…I-C halogen/σ-hole bond and antiparallel double π-hole… F bonds by 1,2-diiodotetrafluorobenzene and acridine and characterized well by XRD, powder XRD and solid 19F NMR, etc. Also the calculated interaction energies are -26.8 and -31.5 kJ/mol for bifurcated C-I…N sp……2 halogen bonds, and -14.3 kJ/mol for a pair of n-hole…F bonds. In this system C-I…N halogen bond has stronger competitive ability to C-I…π halogen bond due to stronger basicity of N than π-system in acridine. The combination of the halogen/σ-hole and π-hole bonds or together with other weak interactions could play a key role in assembling function materials, molecular recognition and design of drugs and so on.     

Theoretical Studies on the Intermolecular Interactions of Potentially Primordial Base‐Pair Analogues

Recent experimental studies on the Watson–Crick type base pairing of triazine and aminopyrimidine derivatives suggest that acid/base properties of the constituent bases might be related to the duplex stabilities measured in solution. Herein we use high‐level quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the base pairing and stacking interactions of seven selected base pairs, which are common in that they are stabilized by two N? H???O hydrogen bonds separated by one N? H???N hydrogen bond. We show that neither the base pairing nor the base stacking interaction energies correlate with the reported pK_a data of the bases and the melting points of the duplexes. This suggests that the experimentally observed correlation between the melting point data of the duplexes and the pK_a values of the constituent bases is not rooted in the intrinsic base pairing and stacking properties. The physical chemistry origin of the observed experimental correlation thus remains unexplained and requires further investigations. In addition, since our calculations are carried out with extrapolation to the complete basis set of atomic orbitals and with inclusion of higher electron correlation effects, they provide reference data for stacking and base pairing energies of non‐natural bases.     

GIAO,DFT, AIM and NBO analysis of the N?H···O intramolecular hydrogen‐bond influence on the 1J(N,H) coupling constant in push–pull diaminoenones

In the series of diaminoenones, large high‐frequency shifts of the ¹H NMR of the N? H group in the cis‐position relative to the carbonyl group suggests strong N? H···O intramolecular hydrogen bonding comprising a six‐membered chelate ring. The N? H···O hydrogen bond causes an increase of the ¹J(N,H) coupling constant by 2–4 Hz and high‐frequency shift of the ¹⁵N signal by 9–10 ppm despite of the lengthening of the relevant N? H bond. These experimental trends are substantiated by gauge‐independent atomic orbital and density functional theory calculations of the shielding and coupling constants in the 3,3‐bis(isopropylamino)‐1‐(aryl)prop‐2‐en‐1‐one (12) for conformations with the Z‐ and E‐orientations of the carbonyl group relative to the N? H group. The effects of the N? H···O hydrogen‐bond on the NMR parameters are analyzed with the atoms‐in‐molecules (AIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) methods. The AIM method indicates a weakening of the N? H···O hydrogen bond as compared with that of 1,1‐di(pyrrol‐2‐yl)‐2‐formylethene (13) where N? H···O hydrogen bridge establishes a seven‐membered chelate ring, and the corresponding ¹J(N,H) coupling constant decreases. The NBO method reveals that the LP(O) →σ*_{N? H} hyperconjugative interaction is weakened on going from the six‐membered chelate ring to the seven‐membered one due to a more bent hydrogen bond in the former case. A dominating effect of the N? H bond rehybridization, owing to an electrostatic term in the hydrogen bonding, seems to provide an increase of the ¹J(N,H) value as a consequence of the N? H···O hydrogen bonding in the studied diaminoenones. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron predators are hydrogen atom traps. Effects of aryl groups on N—Cα bond dissociations of peptide radicals

Effects of substituted aryl groups on dissociations of peptide aminoketyl radicals were studied computationally for model tetrapeptide intermediates GXD^?G where X was a cysteine residue that was derivatized by S‐(3‐nitrobenzyl), S‐(3‐cyanobenzyl), S‐(3,5‐dicyanobenzyl), S‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzyl), and S‐benzyl groups. The aminoketyl radical was placed within the Asp amide group. Aminoketyl radicals having the S‐(3‐nitrobenzyl) group were found to undergo spontaneous and highly exothermic migration of the hydroxyl hydrogen atom onto the nitro group in conformers allowing interaction between these groups. Competing reaction channels were investigated for aminoketyl radicals having the S‐(3‐cyanobenzyl) and S‐(3,5‐dicyanobenzyl) groups, e.g. H‐atom migration to the C and N atoms of the C≡N group, migration to the C‐4 position of the phenyl ring, and dissociation of the radical‐activated N? C_α bond between the Asp and Gly residues. RRKM kinetic analysis on the combined B3LYP and ROMP2/6‐311++G(2d,p) potential energy surface indicated > 99% H‐atom transfer to the C≡N group forming a stable iminyl intermediate. The N? C_α bond dissociation was negligible. In contrast, peptides with the S‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzyl) and S‐benzyl groups showed preferential N? C_α bond dissociation that outcompeted H‐atom migration to the C‐4 position and fluorine substituents in the phenyl ring. These computational results are used to suggest an alternative mechanism for the quenching effect on electron‐based peptide backbone dissociations of benzyl groups with electron‐withdrawing substitutents, as reported recently. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Halogen‐ and Hydrogen‐Bonded Salts and Co‐crystals Formed from 4‐Halo‐2,3,5,6‐tetrafluorophenol and Cyclic Secondary and Tertiary Amines: Orthogonal and Non‐orthogonal Halogen and Hydrogen Bonding,and Synthetic Analogues of Halogen‐Bonded Biological Systems

Co‐crystallisation of, in particular, 4‐iodotetrafluorophenol with a series of secondary and tertiary cyclic amines results in deprotonation of the phenol and formation of the corresponding ammonium phenate. Careful examination of the X‐ray single‐crystal structures shows that the phenate anion develops a C?O double bond and that the C?C bond lengths in the ring suggest a Meissenheimer‐like delocalisation. This delocalisation is supported by the geometry of the phenate anion optimised at the MP2(Full) level of theory within the aug‐cc‐pVDZ basis (aug‐cc‐pVDZ‐PP on I) and by natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. With sp² hybridisation at the phenate oxygen atom, there is strong preference for the formation of two non‐covalent interactions with the oxygen sp² lone pairs and, in the case of secondary amines, this occurs through hydrogen bonding to the ammonium hydrogen atoms. However, where tertiary amines are concerned, there are insufficient hydrogen atoms available and so an electrophilic iodine atom from a neighbouring 4‐iodotetrafluorophenate group forms an I???O halogen bond to give the second interaction. However, in some co‐crystals with secondary amines, it is also found that in addition to the two hydrogen bonds forming with the phenate oxygen sp² lone pairs, there is an additional intermolecular I???O halogen bond in which the electrophilic iodine atom interacts with the C?O π‐system. All attempts to reproduce this behaviour with 4‐bromotetrafluorophenol were unsuccessful. These structural motifs are significant as they reproduce extremely well, in low‐molar‐mass synthetic systems, motifs found by Ho and co‐workers when examining halogen‐bonding interactions in biological systems. The analogy is cemented through the structures of co‐crystals of 1,4‐diiodotetrafluorobenzene with acetamide and with N‐methylbenzamide, which, as designed models, demonstrate the orthogonality of hydrogen and halogen bonding proposed in Ho’s biological study.     

Halogen bonds on demand: I...S contacts in cocrystals of trans‐bis(thiocyanato‐κN)tetrakis(4‐vinylpyridine‐κN)nickel(II) and 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐1,4‐diiodobenzene

Hydrogen bonds are considered a powerful organizing force in designing supramolecular architectures because they are directional, selective and reversible at room temperature. trans‐Dithiocyanatotetrakis(4‐vinylpyridine)nickel(II) is a popular host for the inclusion of small molecules and 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐1,4‐diiodobenzene (TFDIB) represents a strong halogen‐bond donor. These constituents cocrystallize in a 1:1 stoichiometry, [Ni(NCS)₂(C₇H₇N)₄]·C₆F₄I₂, in the tetragonal space group I4₁/a. Both residues occupy special positions, i.e. the pseudo‐octahedral Ni^II complex is located on a twofold axis and the TFDIB molecule sits about a crystallographic centre of inversion. The components interact via a short S...I contact of 3.2891 (12) Å between the thiocyanate S atom of the host and the iodine substituent at the perhalogenated aromatic ring of the smaller guest molecule. This interaction meets the commonly accepted criteria for a halogen bond. Such halogen bonds to sulfur are significantly less common than to smaller electronegative atoms.     

Theoretical study of bifurcated hydrogen bonding effects on the 1J(N,H), 1hJ(N,H), 2hJ(N,N) couplings and 1H, 15N shieldings in model pyrroles

According to the density functional theory calculations, the X···H···N (X?N, O) intramolecular bifurcated (three‐centered) hydrogen bond with one hydrogen donor and two hydrogen acceptors causes a significant decrease of the ^1hJ(N,H) and ^2hJ(N,N) coupling constants across the N? H···N hydrogen bond and an increase of the ¹J(N,H) coupling constant across the N? H covalent bond in the 2,5‐disubsituted pyrroles. This occurs due to a weakening of the N? H···N hydrogen bridge resulting in a lengthening of the N···H distance and a decrease of the hydrogen bond angle at the bifurcated hydrogen bond formation. The gauge‐independent atomic orbital calculations of the shielding constants suggest that a weakening of the N? H···N hydrogen bridge in case of the three‐centered hydrogen bond yields a shielding of the bridge proton and deshielding of the acceptor nitrogen atom. The atoms‐in‐molecules analysis shows that an attenuation of the ^1hJ(N,H) and ^2hJ(N,N) couplings in the compounds with bifurcated hydrogen bond is connected with a decrease of the electron density ρ_H···N at the hydrogen bond critical point and Laplacian of this electron density ?²ρ_H···N. The natural bond orbital analysis suggests that the additional N? H···X interaction partly inhibits the charge transfer from the nitrogen lone pair to the σ*_{N? H} antibonding orbital across hydrogen bond weakening of the ^1hJ(N,H) and ^2hJ(N,N) trans‐hydrogen bond couplings through Fermi‐contact mechanism. An increase of the nitrogen s‐character percentage of the N? H bond in consequence of the bifurcated hydrogen bonding leads to an increase of the ¹J(N,H) coupling constant across the N? H covalent bond and deshielding of the hydrogen donor nitrogen atom. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.