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Chalcogen bonds (ChB) are moderately strong, directional, and specific non‐covalent interactions that have garnered substantial interest over the last decades. Specifically, the presence of two σ‐holes offers great potential for crystal engineering, catalysis, biochemistry, and molecular sensing. However, ChB applications are currently hampered by a lack of methods to characterize and control chalcogen bonds. Here, we report on the influence of various substituents (halogens, cyano, and methyl groups) on the observed self‐complementary ChB networks of 2,1,3‐benzoselenadiazoles. From molecular electrostatic potential calculations, we show that the electrostatic surface potentials (ESP) of the σ‐holes on selenium are largely influenced by the electron‐withdrawing character of these substituents. Structural analyses via X‐ray diffraction reveal a variety of ChB geometries and binding modes that are rationalized via the computed ESP maps, although the structure of 5,6‐dimethyl‐2,1,3‐benzoselenadiazole also demonstrates the influence of steric interactions. 77Se solid‐state magic‐angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, in particular the analysis of the selenium chemical shift tensors, is found to be an effective probe able to characterize both structural and electrostatic features of these self‐complementary ChB systems. We find a positive correlation between the value of the ESP maxima at the σ‐holes and the experimentally measured 77Se isotropic chemical shift, while the skew of the chemical shift tensor is established as a metric which is reflective of the ChB binding motif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group 16 chalcogens potentially provide Lewis‐acidic σ‐holes, which are able to form attractive supramolecular interactions with electron rich partners through chalcogen bonds. Here, a multifaceted experimental and computational study of a large series of novel chalcogen‐bonded cocrystals, prepared using the principles of crystal engineering, is presented. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies reveal that dicyanoselenadiazole and dicyanotelluradiazole derivatives work as promising supramolecular synthons with the ability to form double chalcogen bonds with a wide range of electron donors including halides and oxygen‐ and nitrogen‐containing heterocycles. Extensive 77Se and 125Te solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic investigations of cocrystals establish correlations between the NMR parameters of selenium and tellurium and the local chalcogen bonding geometry. The relationships between the electronic environment of the chalcogen bond and the 77Se and 125Te chemical shift tensors were elucidated through a natural localized molecular orbital density functional theory analysis. This systematic study of chalcogen‐bond‐based crystal engineering lays the foundations for the preparation of the various multicomponent systems and establishes solid‐state NMR protocols to detect these interactions in powdered materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Halogen bonding is an increasingly important tool in crystal engineering, and measuring its influence on the local chemical and electronic environment is necessary to fully understand this interaction. Here, we present a systematic crystallographic and solid‐state NMR study of self‐complementary halogen‐bonded frameworks built from the halide salts (HCl, HBr, HI, HI3) of 2‐iodoethynylpyridine and 3‐iodoethynylpyridine. A series of single crystal X‐ray structures reveals the formation of discrete charged dimers in the solid state, directed by simultaneous X−⋅⋅⋅H−N+ hydrogen bonds and C−I⋅⋅⋅X− halogen bonds (X=Cl, Br, I). Each compound was studied using multinuclear solid‐state magnetic resonance spectroscopy, observing 1H to investigate the hydrogen bonds and 13C, 35Cl, and 79/81Br to investigate the halogen bonds. A natural localized molecular orbital analysis was employed to help interpret the experimental results. 1H SSNMR spectroscopy reveals a decrease in the chemical shift of the proton participating in the hydrogen bond as the halogen increases in size, whereas the 13C SSNMR reveals an increased 13C chemical shift of the C−I carbon for C−I⋅⋅⋅X− relative to C−I⋅⋅⋅N halogen bonds. Additionally, 35Cl and 79/81Br SSNMR, along with computational results, have allowed us to compare the C−I⋅⋅⋅X− halogen bond involving each halide in terms of NMR observables. Due to the isostructural nature of these compounds, they are ideal cases for experimentally assessing the impact of different halogen bond acceptors on the solid‐state NMR response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontispiece: Double Chalcogen Bonds: Crystal Engineering Stratagems via Diffraction and Multinuclear Solid-State Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Keywords: chalcogen bonds; crystal engineering; dicyanoselenadiazole; dicyanotelluradiazole; molecular orbital analysis; solid-state NMR Chalcogen bonds, crystal engineering, dicyanoselenadiazole, dicyanotelluradiazole, molecular orbital analysis, solid-state NMR. [Extracted from the article]