Pancake Bonding Seen through the Eyes of Spectroscopy

Abstract

From local mode stretching force constants and topological electron density analysis, computed at either the UM06/6-311G(d,p), UM06/SDD, or UM05-2X/6–31++G(d,p) level of theory, we elucidate on the nature/strength of the parallel π-stacking interactions (i.e. pancake bonding) of the 1,2-dithia-3,5-diazolyl dimer, 1,2-diselena-3,5-diazolyl dimer, 1,2-tellura-3,5-diazolyl dimer, phenalenyl dimer, 2,5,8-tri-methylphenalenyl dimer, and the 2,5,8-tri-t-butylphenalenyl dimer. We use local mode stretching force constants to derive an aromaticity delocalization index (AI) for the phenalenyl-based dimers and their monomers as to determine the effect of substitution and dimerization on aromaticity, as well as determining what bond property governs alterations in aromaticity. Our results reveal the strength of the C⋯C contacts and of the rings of the di-chalcodiazoyl dimers investigated decrease in parallel with decreasing chalcogen⋯chalcogen bond strength. Energy density values Hb suggest the S⋯S and Se⋯Se pancake bonds of 1,2-dithia-3,5-diazolyl dimer and the 1,2-diselena-3,5-diazolyl dimer are covalent in nature. We observe the pancake bonds, of all phenalenyl-based dimers investigated, to be electrostatic in nature. In contrast to their monomer counterparts, phenalenyl-based dimers increase in aromaticity primarily due to CC bond strengthening. For phenalenyl-based dimers we observed that the addition of bulky substituents steadily decreased the system aromaticity predominately due to CC bond weakening.