Relations between 77Se NMR chemical shifts of (phenylseleno)-benzenes and their molecular structures derived from nine X-ray crystal structures

An extensive library of 77Se chemical shifts have been generated from the NMR measurements on substituted (phenylseleno)benzenes, including 33 new compounds. The variation in chemical shifts cover 265 ppm ranging from 446 to 181 ppm. Crystal structures have been determined for nine selected representatives of the substituted (phenylseleno)-benzenes. The analysis of the crystal structures supported that through-space interactions between selenium and the ortho-substituent observed in the crystal structures also are likely to be present in solution. The variation in the 77Se NMR chemical shifts can be rationalised from the intramolecular interactions with the substituent in the ortho-position. Furthermore it appears that these ortho-effects are roughly additive, and that it is the actual interactions and not the resulting conformational constraints that are responsible for the variations in the 77Se NMR chemical shifts.