An unusually stable pyridine-2-selenenyl chloride: structure and reactivity

According to an X-ray diffraction study, pyridine-2-selenenyl chloride (1) characterized by unusually high stability both in solutions and in the solid state adopts a dimeric structure formed by two secondary intermolecular Se···N interactions. However, it slowly transforms into zwitterionic T-shaped pyridinium-2-selenenyl dichloride (2) in a dichloromethane solution. Conformational features, electronic structures, and reactivities of 1 and 2 are discussed on the basis of experimental and theoretical (quantum chemical calculations) data.