Nature of beryllium bonds in view of interacting quantum atoms and natural energy decomposition analysis

Abstract

In the light of interacting quantum atoms (IQA) and natural energy decomposition analysis (NEDA) the nature of different types of beryllium bonds is studied. IQA intra-atomic (self) energies indicate that, in most of the traditional beryllium bonds (in which the Lewis base is a lone pair donor), π-Be bonds (Lewis base is an unsaturated molecule) and also the Be–Ng (noble gases) interactions, the beryllium atom is stabilized upon complex formations. According to IQA inter-atomic energy components, the Be⋯Y bonds (Y is an atom in the Be-bond acceptor that is connected directly to the beryllium atom) have a dominant classical electrostatic character. However, in the IQA partitioning of total inter-molecular interactions, the contributions of non-classical (exchange–correlation) terms are non-negligible. Natural energy decomposition analysis of traditional and π-Be bonds indicate that the attractive interactions come from both the electrical and charge transfer terms. The electrical term in the Be–Ng bonds is negligibly small and the charge transfer is the most dominant contributor in the interaction energy.