Theoretical Study on the Bromomethane−Water 1:2 Complexes

Abstract

Bromomethane-water 1:2 complexes have been theoretically studied to reveal the role of hydrogen bond and halogen bond in the formation of different aggregations. Four stable structures exist on the potential energy surface of the CH3Br(H2O)2 complex. The bromine atom acts mainly as proton acceptor in the four studied structures. It is also capable of participating in the formation of the halogen bond. The properties and characteristics of the hydrogen bond and the halogen bond are investigated employing several different quantum chemical analysis methods. Cooperative effects for the pure hydrogen bonds or the mixed hydrogen bonds with halogen bonds and the possibility of describing cooperative effects in terms of the topological analysis of the electronic density or the charge-transfer stabilization energy are discussed in detail. An atoms-in-molecules study of the hydrogen bond or the halogen bond in the bromomethane-water 1:2 complexes suggests that the electronic density topology of the hydrogen bond or the halogen bond is insensitive to the cooperative effect. The charge-transfer stabilization energy is proportional to the cooperative effect, which indicates the donor-acceptor electron density transfer to be mainly responsible for the trimer nonadditive effect.