Seeking hydrogen bonds — With and without neutron diffraction

Abstract

The hydrogen-bond interaction can be studied using a variety of spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques, as well as theoretical studies based on quantum chemical principles, semi-empirical procedures, and statistical interpretations. A degree of specificity, along with flexibility, provides H-bonded systems with a variety of unusual and interesting physical, chemical and biological properties. Neutron diffraction is the method of choice for obtaining high-precision data on hydrogen-atom positions and hydrogen-bond stereo-chemistry in crystals. Neutron inelastic scattering can provide information on the dynamics of H-bonded systems. High-precision neutron diffraction studies on a variety of crystal hydrates, amino acids and small peptides, development of semi-empirical potential functions for bent-hydrogen bonds, and statistical analysis of H-bond populations associated with various donor and acceptor groups are some of the investigations on hydrogen bonding, carried out at Trombay during the past three decades.