The Geometry and Nature of C─I···O─N Interactions in Perfluoroiodobenzene-Pyridine N-oxide Halogen-Bonded Complexes

The N─Oxide oxygen in the 111 C─I···⁻O─N+ halogen bond (XB) complexes, formed by five perfluoroiodobenzene XB donors and 32 pyridine N-oxides (PyNO) XB acceptors, exhibits three XB modes: bidentate, tridentate, and monodentate. Their C─I···O XB angles range from 148° to 180°, reflecting the iodine σ-hole's structure-guiding influence. The I···⁻O─N+ angles range from 87° to 152°. On the contrary, the I···⁻O─N+ angles have a narrower range from 107° to 125° in stronger monodentate N─I···⁻O─N+ XBs of N-iodoimides and PyNOs. The C─I···⁻O─N+ systems exhibit a larger variation in I···⁻O─N+ angles due to weaker XB donor perfluoroiodoaromatics forming weak I···O XBs, which allows wider access to electron-rich N-O group regions. Density Functional Theory analysis shows that I···O interactions are attractive even when the I···⁻O─N+ angle is ≈80°. Correlation analysis of structural parameters showed that weak I···O XBs in perfluoroiodobenzene-PyNO complexes affect the C─I bond via n(O)→σ*(C─I) donation less than the N─I bond via n(O)→σ*(N─I) donation in very strong I···O XBs of N-iodoimide-PyNO complexes. This implies that PyNOs' oxygen self-tunes its XB acceptor property, dependent on the XB donor σ-hole strength affecting the bonding denticity, geometry, and interaction energies.

The Halogen Bonding Proclivity of the sp3 Sulfur Atom as a Halogen Bond Acceptor in Cocrystals of Tetrahydro-4H-thiopyran-4-one and Its Derivatives

In this work, we present a systematic study of the capability of the sp³ hybridized sulfur atom for halogen bonding both in a small building block, tetrahydro-4H-thiopyran-4-one, and two larger ones derived from it, Schiff bases with a morpholine fragment on the other end of the molecule. These three building blocks were cocrystallized with six perhalogenated aromates: 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene, 1,3,5-triiodotrifluorobenzene, 1,3-diiodotetrafluorobenzene, 1,2-diiodotetrafluorobenzene, iodopentafluorobenzene, and 1,4-dibromotetrafluorobenzene. Out of the 18 combinations, only 7 (39%) yielded cocrystals, although with a high occurrence of the targeted I···S halogen bonding motif in all cocrystals (71%), and in imine cocrystals the I···O_morpholine motif (100%) as well as, surprisingly, the I···N_imine motif (100%). The I···S halogen bonds presented in this work feature lower relative shortening values than those for other types of sulfur atoms; however, the sp³ sulfur atom could potentially be more specific an acceptor for halogen bonding.

Intramolecular chalcogen bonding to tune molecular conformation of helical building block for supramolecular helix

We propose to employ intramolecular chalcogen bonding to make the helical building block take its otherwise unfavorable cis-conformation. 2,5-Thiophenediamide motif was taken to bridge two β-turn structures to lead to...

Electron belt-to-σ-hole switch of noncovalently bound iodine(i) atoms in dithiocarbamate metal complexes

The nature of metals in the isostructural series of dithiocarbamate complexes affects the electron belt-to-σ-hole switch of noncovalently bound iodine(i) leading to either semicoordination, or halogen bonding.

A Novel Halogen Bond Acceptor: 1-(4-Pyridyl)-4-Thiopyridine (PTP) Zwitterion

Sulfur is a widely used halogen bond (XB) acceptor, but only a limited number of neutral XB acceptors with bifurcated sp3-S sites have been reported. In this work a new bidentate XB acceptor, 1-(4-pyridyl)-4-thiopyridine (PTP), which combines sp3-S and sp2-N acceptor sites, is introduced. Three halogen bonded cocrystals were obtained by using 1,4-diiodobenzene (DIB), 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene (DIFB), and iodopentafluorobenzene (IPFB) as XB donors and PTP as acceptor. The structures of the cocrystals showed some XB selectivity between the S and N donors in PTP. However, the limited contribution of XB to the overall molecular packing in these three cocrystals and the results from DSC measurements clearly point out the synergetic influence and interplay of all noncovalent interactions in crystal packing of these compounds.

Single-handed supramolecular double helix of homochiral bis(N-amidothiourea) supported by double crossed C-I···S halogen bonds

The natural DNA double helix consists of two strands of nucleotides that are held together by multiple hydrogen bonds. Here we propose to build an artificial double helix from fragments of two strands connected by covalent linkages therein, but with halogen bonding as the driving force for self-assembling the fragments to the double helix. We succeed in building such a double helix in both solution and solid state, by using a bilateral N-(p-iodobenzoyl)alanine based amidothiourea which in its folded cis-form allows double and crossed C−I···S halogen bonds that lead to right- or left-handed double helix when the two alanine residues are of the same L,L- or D,D-configuration. The double helix forms in dilute CH₃CN solution of the micromolar concentration level, e.g., 5.6 μM from 2D NOESY experiments and exhibits a high thermal stability in solution up to 75 °C, suggesting cooperative and thereby strong intermolecular double crossed halogen bonding that makes the double helix stable. This is supported by the observed homochiral self-sorting in solution.

Building an artificial double helix is a compelling challenge, and most strategies rely on the intertwining of two helical strands. Here, in a very different approach, the authors construct a supramolecular double helix from multiple synthetic small molecules chained together by double crossed halogen bonds.

Identification of an Overlooked Halogen-Bond Synthon and Its Application in Designing Fluorescent Materials

Research on new supramolecular synthons facilitates the progress of materials design. Herein, the ability of sp² carbonyl oxygen atoms to act as halogen-bond acceptors was established through cocrystallization. Four sets of carbonyl compounds, including aldehydes, ketones, esters, and amides, were selected as halogen-bond acceptors. In the absence of strong hydrogen bonds, 14 out of 16 combinations of halogen-bond donors and acceptors could form cocrystals, whereby the supramolecular synthon C=O⋅⋅⋅X acts as the main interaction. Further, the geometric parameters of the C=O⋅⋅⋅X interaction were statistically revealed on the basis of the crystallographic database. The bifurcated interaction mode that has been observed in other halogen-bond synthons rarely occurs in the case of C=O⋅⋅⋅X. The robustness of C=O⋅⋅⋅X makes its application in crystal engineering possible and opens up new opportunities in designing multicomponent fluorescent materials, as indicated by multicolor emission of cocrystals D through C=O⋅⋅⋅X interactions.

Halogen and chalcogen-bonding interactions in sulphur-rich π-electron acceptors

Sulphur and iodine heteroatoms on the acceptor skeleton induce chalcogen⋯chalcogen and halogen-bonding interactions.

Experimental investigation of halogen-bond hard-soft acid-base complementarity

The halogen bond (XB) is a topical noncovalent interaction of rapidly increasing importance. The XB employs a `soft' donor atom in comparison to the `hard' proton of the hydrogen bond (HB). This difference has led to the hypothesis that XBs can form more favorable interactions with `soft' bases than HBs. While computational studies have supported this suggestion, solution and solid-state data are lacking. Here, XB soft-soft complementarity is investigated with a bidentate receptor that shows similar associations with neutral carbonyls and heavy chalcogen analogs. The solution speciation and XB soft-soft complementarity is supported by four crystal structures containing neutral and anionic soft Lewis bases.

1,3,5-Tri(iodoethynyl)-2,4,6-trifluorobenzene: halogen-bonded frameworks and NMR spectroscopic analysis

Halogen bonding is the non-covalent interaction between the region of positive electrostatic potential associated with a covalently bonded halogen atom, named the σ-hole, and a Lewis base. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures are reported for a series of seven halogen-bonded cocrystals featuring 1,3,5-tris(iodoethynyl)-2,4,6-trifluorobenzene (1) as the halogen-bond donor, and bromide ions (as ammonium or phosphonium salts) as the halogen-bond acceptors: (1)·MePh3PBr, (1)·EtPh3PBr, (1)·acetonyl-Ph3PBr, (1)·Ph4PBr, (1)·[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methyl]triphenylphosphonium bromide, and two new polymorphs of (1)·Et3BuNBr. The cocrystals all feature moderately strong iodine–bromide halogen bonds. The crystal structure of pure [bis(4-fluorophenyl)methyl]triphenylphosphonium bromide is also reported. The results of a crystal engineering strategy of varying the size of the counter-cation are explored, and the features of the resulting framework materials are discussed. Given the potential utility of (1) in future crystal engineering applications, detailed NMR analyses (in solution and in the solid state) of this halogen-bond donor are also presented. In solution, complex13C and19F multiplets are explained by considering the delicate interplay between variousJcouplings and subtle isotope shifts. In the solid state, the formation of (1)·Et3BuNBr is shown through significant13C chemical shift changes relative to pure solid 1,3,5-tris(iodoethynyl)-2,4,6-trifluorobenzene.

13C and 19F solid-state NMR and X-ray crystallographic study of halogen-bonded frameworks featuring nitrogen-containing heterocycles

Halogen bonding is a noncovalent interaction between the electrophilic region of a halogen (σ-hole) and an electron donor. We report a crystallographic and structural analysis of halogen-bonded compounds by applying a combined X-ray diffraction (XRD) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) approach. Single-crystal XRD was first used to characterize the halogen-bonded cocrystals formed between two fluorinated halogen-bond donors (1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene and 1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-triiodobenzene) and several nitrogen-containing heterocycles (acridine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, and hexamethylenetetramine). New structures are reported for the following three cocrystals, all in the P2₁/c space group: acridine-1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-triiodobenzene (1/1), C₆F₃I₃·C₁₃H₉N, 1,10-phenanthroline-1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-triiodobenzene (1/1), C₆F₃I₃·C₁₂H₈N₂, and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine-1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-triiodobenzene (1/1), C₆F₃I₃·C₈H₁₂N₂. ¹³C and ¹⁹F solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR is shown to be a convenient method to characterize the structural features of the halogen-bond donor and acceptor, with chemical shifts attributable to cocrystal formation observed in the spectra of both nuclides. Cross polarization (CP) from ¹⁹F to ¹³C results in improved spectral sensitivity in characterizing the perfluorinated halogen-bond donor when compared to conventional ¹H CP. Gauge-including projector-augmented wave density functional theory (GIPAW DFT) calculations of magnetic shielding constants, along with optimization of the XRD structures, provide a final set of structures in best agreement with the experimental ¹³C and ¹⁹F chemical shifts. Data for carbons bonded to iodine remain outliers due to well-known relativistic effects.

Toward a reverse hierarchy of halogen bonding between bromine and iodine

We compare here the halogen bond characteristics of bimolecular adducts involving either N-bromo- or N-iodosaccharin as strong halogen bond donors, with 4-picoline as a common XB acceptor. In the NBSac·Pic system, the bromine atom of NBSac is displaced toward the picoline, almost at a median position between the two nitrogen atoms, N_Sac and N′_Pic, with N_Sac⋯Br and Br⋯N′_Pic distances at 2.073(6) and 2.098(6) Å respectively. This extreme situation contrasts with the analogous iodine derivative, NISac·Pic, where the N_Sac–I and I⋯N′_Pic distances amount to 2.223(4) and 2.301(4) Å respectively. Periodic DFT calculations, and molecular calculations of adducts (PBEPBE-D2 aug-cc-pVTZ) either at the experimental frozen geometry or with optimization of the halogen position, indicate a more important degree of covalency (i.e. shared-shell character) in the adduct formed with the bromine atom. A stronger charge transfer to the picoline is also found for the bromine (+0.27 |e|) than for the iodine (+0.18 |e|) system. This inversion of halogen bond strength between I and Br finds its origin in the strong covalent character of the interaction in these adducts, in line with the strength of covalent N–Br and N–I bonds. Detailed characterization of the critical points (CPs) of the L(r) = −∇²ρ(r) function along bonding directions has permitted the adducts to be distinguished and they can be respectively described as “neutral” NISac/Pic and “intermediate” NSac/Br/Pic, the latter with Br being close to formal equivalent N_Sac⋯Br and Br⋯N′_Pic interactions but still more associated to the XB donor than to the picoline, as indicated by the topological and energetic properties of the ρ(r) function at the bond critical points (BCPs).