Unconventional Type III Halogen···Halogen Interactions: A Quantum Mechanical Elucidation of σ-Hole···σ-Hole and Di-σ-Hole Interactions.

Herein, two unconventional type III halogen···halogen interactions, namely, σ-hole···σ-hole and di-σ-hole interactions, were reported in a series of halogenated complexes. In type III, the A-halogen···halogen angles are typically equal to 180°, and the occurrence of σ-hole on halogen atoms is mandatory. Using diverse quantum mechanical calculations, it was demonstrated that the occurrence of such interactions with binding energies varied from -0.35 to -1.30 kcal/mol. Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory-based energy decomposition analysis (SAPT-EDA) revealed that type III interactions are dominated by dispersion forces, while electrostatic forces are unfavorable. Cambridge Structure Database (CSD) survey unveiled the experimental evidence for the manifestation of σ-hole···σ-hole interactions in crystal structures. This work might be deemed as a foundation for a vast number of forthcoming crystal engineering and materials science studies.