Halogen Bonding in Supramolecular Chemistry

Beryllium Bonds, Do They Exist?

The complexes between BeX2 (X = H, F, Cl, OH) with different Lewis bases have been investigated through the use of B3LYP, MP2, and CCSD(T) approaches. This theoretical survey showed that these complexes are stabilized through the interaction between the Be atom and the basic center of the base, which are characterized by electron densities at the corresponding bond critical points larger than those found in conventional hydrogen bonds (HBs). Actually, all bonding indices indicate that, although these interactions that we named "beryllium bonds" are in general significantly stronger than HBs, they share many common features. Both interactions have a dominant electrostatic character but also some covalent contributions associated with a non-negligible electron transfer between the interacting subunits. This electron transfer, which in HBs takes place from the HB acceptor lone-pairs toward the σYH* antibonding orbital of the HB donor, in beryllium bonds goes from the lone pairs of the Lewis base toward the empty p orbital of Be and the σBeX* antibonding orbital. Accordingly, a significant distortion of the BeX2 subunit, which in the complex becomes nonlinear, takes place. Concomitantly, a significant red-shifting of the X-Be-X antisymmetric stretching frequencies and a significant lengthening of the X-Be bonds occur. The presence of the beryllium bond results in a significant blue-shifting of the X-Be-X symmetric stretch.

Chalcogen bond: a sister noncovalent bond to halogen bond

A sister noncovalent bond to halogen bond, termed chalcogen bond, is defined in this article. By selecting the complexes H(2)CS...Cl(-), F(2)CS...Cl(-), OCS...Cl(-), and SCS...Cl(-) as models, the bond-length change, interaction energy, topological property of the electron charge density and its Laplacian, and the charge transfer of the chalcogen bond have been investigated in detail theoretically. It was found that the similar misshaped electron clouds of the chalcogen atom and the halogen atom result in the similar properties of the chalcogen bond and the halogen bond. Experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Experimental and theoretical study of the Br...N halogen bond in complexes of 1,4-dibromotetrafluorobenzene with dipyridyl derivatives

The electron density distributions of two halogen-bonded complexes, that is, (E)-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (bpe) or 4,4'-dipyridyl (dp) with 1,4-dibromotetrafluorobenzene (C(6)F(4)Br(2)), have been obtained from accurate single-crystal X-ray diffracted intensities collected at 90 K and analyzed through the Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules. The experimental results have been compared with theoretical densities resulting from DFT calculations on both gas-phase isolated complexes and periodic crystal structures. The topological features and the energetics of the underlying Br...N intermolecular halogen bonding connecting bpe and dp with C(6)F(4)Br(2) molecules into 1D infinite chains have been investigated and compared with the previously analyzed I...N halogen bond. The analysis provides a quantitative evaluation of the differences observed between the involved halogen species, in addition to pointing out the basic features shared by the investigated halogen bond interactions.

Binding mechanisms in supramolecular complexes

Supramolecular chemistry has expanded dramatically in recent years both in terms of potential applications and in its relevance to analogous biological systems. The formation and function of supramolecular complexes occur through a multiplicity of often difficult to differentiate noncovalent forces. The aim of this Review is to describe the crucial interaction mechanisms in context, and thus classify the entire subject. In most cases, organic host-guest complexes have been selected as examples, but biologically relevant problems are also considered. An understanding and quantification of intermolecular interactions is of importance both for the rational planning of new supramolecular systems, including intelligent materials, as well as for developing new biologically active agents.

Crystal structure of iodotyrosine deiodinase, a novel flavoprotein responsible for iodide salvage in thyroid glands

The flavoprotein iodotyrosine deiodinase (IYD) salvages iodide from mono- and diiodotyrosine formed during the biosynthesis of the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Expression of a soluble domain of this membrane-bound enzyme provided sufficient material for crystallization and characterization by x-ray diffraction. The structures of IYD and two co-crystals containing substrates, mono- and diiodotyrosine, alternatively, were solved at resolutions of 2.0, 2.45, and 2.6 A, respectively. The structure of IYD is homologous to others in the NADH oxidase/flavin reductase superfamily, but the position of the active site lid in IYD defines a new subfamily within this group that includes BluB, an enzyme associated with vitamin B(12) biosynthesis. IYD and BluB also share key interactions involving their bound flavin mononucleotide that suggest a unique catalytic behavior within the superfamily. Substrate coordination to IYD induces formation of an additional helix and coil that act as an active site lid to shield the resulting substrate.flavin complex from solvent. This complex is stabilized by aromatic stacking and extensive hydrogen bonding between the substrate and flavin. The carbon-iodine bond of the substrate is positioned directly over the C-4a/N-5 region of the flavin to promote electron transfer. These structures now also provide a molecular basis for understanding thyroid disease based on mutations of IYD.

Supramolecular synthesis based on a combination of hydrogen- and halogen bonds

A family of supramolecular reagents containing two different binding sites, pyridine and amino-pyrimidine, were allowed to react with iodo- or bromo-substituted benzoic acids in order to assemble individual molecules into larger architectures with precise intermolecular interactions, using a combination of hydrogen- and halogen-bonds. The hydrogen-bond based amino-pyrimidine/carboxylic acid or amino-pyrimidinium/carboxylate synthons are responsible for the assembly of the primary structural motif in every case (7/7 times, 100% supramolecular yield), while Icdots, three dots, centeredN, Brcdots, three dots, centeredN, and Icdots, three dots, centeredO, halogen bonds play a structural supporting role by organizing these supermolecules into extended 1-D and 2-D architectures (5/7 times, 71% supramolecular yield). These results illustrate how two different non-covalent interactions can be employed side-by-side in the reliable construction of extended molecular solid-state networks with predictable connectivity and dimensionality.