Covalent-ionic Resonance Research Articles

Valence Bond Theory Allows a Generalized Description of Hydrogen Bonding.

This paper describes the nature of the hydrogen bond (HB), B:---H-A, using valence bond theory (VBT). Our analysis shows that the most important HB interactions are polarization and charge transfer, and their corresponding sum displays a pattern that is identical for a variety of energy decomposition analysis (EDA) methods. Furthermore, the sum terms obtained with the different EDA methods correlate linearly with the corresponding VB quantities. The VBT analysis demonstrates that the total covalent-ionic resonance energy (RECS) of the HB portion (B---H in B:---H-A) correlates linearly with the dissociation energy of the HB, ΔEdiss. In principle, therefore, RECS(HB) can be determined by experiment. The VBT wavefunction reveals that the contributions of ionic structures to the HB increase the positive charge on the hydrogen of the corresponding external/free O-H bonds in, for example, the water dimer compared with a free water molecule. This increases the electric field of the external O-H bonds of water clusters and contributes to bringing about catalysis of reactions by water droplets and in water-hydrophobic interfaces.

Dichotomy of Delocalization/Localization and Charge-Shift Bonding in Germanazene and its Heavier Group 14 Analogues: a Valence Bond Study.

We present here a valence bond analysis of structure and π-delocalization in Ge3 (NH)3 , which models germanazene that was prepared by Power et al. To get a broader perspective, we explore the entire E3 (NH)3 series (E=C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb). Thus, while (4n+2)π systems of carbon rings are aromatic with cyclic π-delocalization, the E3 (NH)3 rings are dominated by a nonbonded structure, wherein π-lone pairs are localized on the N atoms. Nevertheless, these molecules enjoy large covalent-ionic resonance energies of 153.0, 86.6, 74.2, 61.2, and 58.9 kcal/mol, respectively, for E=C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb. The covalent-ionic mixing in E3 (NH)3 creates π-systems, which are stabilized by charge-shift bonding. Thus, unlike in benzene, in Ge3 (NH)3 delocalization of π-electron pairs of the N atoms is primarily confined to the domains of their adjacent Ge atoms. These features carry over to the substituted germanazene, Ge3 (NAr)3 (Ar=Ph).

Nature of the Trigger Linkage in Explosive Materials Is a Charge-Shift Bond.

Explosion begins by rupture of a specific bond, in the explosive, called a trigger linkage. We characterize this bond in nitro-containing explosives. Valence-bond (VB) investigations of X-NO2 linkages in alkyl nitrates, nitramines, and nitro esters establish the existence of Pauli repulsion that destabilizes the covalent structure of these bonds. The trigger linkages are mainly stabilized by covalent-ionic resonance and are therefore charge-shift bonds (CSBs). The source of Pauli repulsion in nitro explosives is unique. It is traced to the hyperconjugative interaction from the oxygen lone pairs of NO2 into the σ(X-N)* orbital, which thereby weakens the X-NO2 bond, and depletes its electron density as X becomes more electronegative. Weaker trigger bonds have higher CSB characters. In turn, weaker bonds increase the sensitivity of the explosive to impacts/shocks which lead to detonation. Application of the analysis to realistic explosives supports the CSB character of their X-NO2 bonds by independent criteria. Furthermore, other families of explosives also involve CSBs as trigger linkages (O-O, N-O, Cl-O, N-I, etc. bonds). In all of these, detonation is initiated selectively at the CSB of the molecule. A connection is made between the CSB bond-weakening and the surface-electrostatic potential diagnosis in the trigger bonds.

Charge-Shift Bonding: A New and Unique Form of Bonding.

Charge-shift bonds (CSBs) constitute a new class of bonds different than covalent/polar-covalent and ionic bonds. Bonding in CSBs does not arise from either the covalent or the ionic structures of the bond, but rather from the resonance interaction between the structures. This Essay describes the reasons why the CSB family was overlooked by valence-bond pioneers and then demonstrates that the unique status of CSBs is not theory-dependent. Thus, valence bond (VB), molecular orbital (MO), and energy decomposition analysis (EDA), as well as a variety of electron density theories all show the distinction of CSBs vis-à-vis covalent and ionic bonds. Furthermore, the covalent-ionic resonance energy can be quantified from experiment, and hence has the same essential status as resonance energies of organic molecules, e.g., benzene. The Essay ends by arguing that CSBs are a distinct family of bonding, with a potential to bring about a Renaissance in the mental map of the chemical bond, and to contribute to productive chemical diversity.

Comment on "Decoding real space bonding descriptors in valence bond language" by A. Martín Pendás and E. Francisco, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 12368.

The authors of the above entitled paper suggest that molecular orbital (MO) and valence bond (VB) theories may generate conflicting insights into bonding. Therefore, they derive a real-space (RS) quantum chemical topology (QCT) approach (QCT-RS), and use it to extract insight into the H2 and LiH bonds, and contrast this insight with the one generated by VB calculations. The authors' conclusions strongly contradict the usual bonding paradigms that arise from classical VB theory. Our Comment critically examines these claims and shows that MO and VB theories do not differ in their interpretations of bonding when both are applied on equal footing. It is furthermore shown that the conclusions based on this QCT-RS approach originate from a redefinition of VB structures in a manner that departs from the commonly accepted ones. This disparity of definitions of VB structures creates confusion. Thus, (a) the claim that in QCT-RS all covalency emanates from the covalent-ionic resonance, is generally incorrect in classical VB theory; and (b) contrary to the description of LiH as fully ionic in the above entitled paper, classical VB theory shows that this bond is well described as a superposition of a major covalent structure (albeit polarized) and a less important ionic one. The s-p hybridization of Li in the covalent structure is the major contributor to the dipole moment of LiH.

Charge-Shift Corrected Electronegativities and the Effect of Bond Polarity and Substituents on Covalent-Ionic Resonance Energy.

Bond dissociation energies and resonance energies for HnA-BHm molecules (A, B = H, C, N, O, F, Cl, Li, and Na) have been determined in order to re-evaluate the concept of electronegativity in the context of modern valence bond theory. Following Pauling's original scheme and using the rigorous definition of the covalent-ionic resonance energy provided by the breathing orbital valence bond method, we have derived a charge-shift corrected electronegativity scale for H, C, N, O, F, Cl, Li, and Na. Atomic charge shift character is defined using a similar approach resulting in values of 0.42, 1.06, 1.43, 1.62, 1.64, 1.44, 0.46, and 0.34 for H, C, N, O, F, Cl, Li, and Na, respectively. The charge-shift corrected electronegativity values presented herein follow the same general trends as Pauling's original values with the exception of Li having a smaller value than Na (1.57 and 1.91 for Li and Na respectively). The resonance energy is then broken down into components derived from the atomic charge shift character and polarization effects. It is then shown that most of the resonance energy in the charge-shift bonds H-F, H3C-F, and Li-CH3 and borderline charge-shift H-OH is associated with polarity rather than the intrinsic atomic charge-shift character of the bonding species. This suggests a rebranding of these bonds as "polar charge-shift" rather than simply "charge-shift". Lastly, using a similar breakdown method, it is shown that the small effect the substituents -CH3, -NH2, -OH, and -F have on the resonance energy (<10%) is mostly due to changes in the charge-shift character of the bonding atom.

Charge-Shift Bonding Emerges as a Distinct Electron-Pair Bonding Family from Both Valence Bond and Molecular Orbital Theories.

The charge-shift bonding (CSB) concept was originally discovered through valence bond (VB) calculations. Later, CSB was found to have signatures in atoms-in-molecules and electron-localization-function and in experimental electron density measurements. However, the CSB concept has never been derived from a molecular orbital (MO)-based theory. We now provide a proof of principle that an MO-based approach enables one to derive the CSB family alongside the distinctly different classical family of covalent bonds. In this bridging energy decomposition analysis, the covalent-ionic resonance energy, RECS, of a bond is extracted by cloning an MO-based purely covalent reference state, which is a constrained two-configuration wave function. The energy gap between this reference state and the variational TCSCF ground state yields numerical values for RECS, which correlate with the values obtained at the VBSCF level. This simple MO-based method, which only takes care of static electron correlation, is already sufficient for distinguishing the classical covalent or polar-covalent bonds from charge-shift bonds. The equivalence of the VB and MO-based methods is further demonstrated when both methods are augmented by dynamic correlation. Thus, it is shown from both MO and VB perspectives that the bonding in the CSB family does not arise from electron correlation. Considering that the existence of the CSB family is associated also with quite a few experimental observations that we already reviewed ( Shaik , S. , Danovich , D. , Wu , W. , and Hiberty , P. C. Nat. Chem. , 2009 , 1 , 443 - 449 ), the new bonding concept has passed by now two stringent tests. This derivation, on the one hand, supports the new concept and on the other, it creates bridges between the two main theories of electronic structure.

Bonding Conundrums in the C2 Molecule: A Valence Bond Study.

The ab initio VB study for the electronic structure of the C2 molecule in the ground state is presented in this work. VB calculations involving 78 chemically relevant VB structures can predict the bonding energy of C2 quite well. Sequentially, a VBCIS calculation provides spectroscopic parameters that are very close to full CI calculated values in the same basis set. Furthermore, the analysis of the bonding scheme shows that a triply bonded structure is the major one in terms of weights, and the lowest in energy at the equilibrium distance. The second structure in terms of weights is an ethylene-like structure, displaying a σ + π double bond. The structure with two suspended π bonds but no σ bond contributes only marginally to the ground state. This ordering of weights for the VB structures describing the C2 molecule is shown to be consistent with the shape of the molecular orbitals and with the multireference character of the ground state. With the triply bonded bonding scheme, the natures of the π and σ bonds are investigated, and then the corresponding "in situ" bond strengths are estimated. The contribution of the covalent-ionic resonance energy to π and σ bonding is revealed and discussed.

An Excursion from Normal to Inverted CC Bonds Shows a Clear Demarcation between Covalent and Charge‐Shift CC Bonds

What is the nature of the C-C bond? Valence bond and electron density computations of 16 C-C bonds show two families of bonds that flesh out as a phase diagram. One family, involving ethane, cyclopropane and so forth, is typified by covalent C-C bonding wherein covalent spin-pairing accounts for most of the bond energy. The second family includes the inverted bridgehead bonds of small propellanes, where the bond is neither covalent nor ionic, but owes its existence to the resonance stabilization between the respective structures; hence a charge-shift (CS) bond. The dual family also emerges from calculated and experimental electron density properties. Covalent C-C bonds are characterized by negative Laplacians of the density, whereas CS-bonds display small or positive Laplacians. The positive Laplacian defines a region suffering from neighbouring repulsive interactions, which is precisely the case in the inverted bonding region. Such regions are rich in kinetic energy, and indeed the energy-density analysis reveals that CS-bonds are richer in kinetic energy than the covalent C-C bonds. The large covalent-ionic resonance energy is precisely the mechanism that lowers the kinetic energy in the bonding region and restores equilibrium bonding. Thus, different degrees of repulsive strain create two bonding families of the same chemical bond made from a single atomic constituent. It is further shown that the idea of repulsive strain is portable and can predict the properties of propellanes of various sizes and different wing substituents. Experimentally (M. Messerschmidt, S. Scheins, L. Bruberth, M. Patzel, G. Szeimies, C. Paulman, P. Luger, Angew. Chem. 2005, 117, 3993-3997; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 3925-3928), the C-C bond families are beautifully represented in [1.1.1]propellane, where the inverted C-C is a CS-bond, while the wings are made from covalent C-C bonds. What other manifestations can we expect from CS-bonds? Answers from experiment have the potential of recharting the mental map of chemical bonding.

Charge-shift bonding and its manifestations in chemistry

Electron-pair bonding is a central chemical paradigm. Here, we show that alongside the two classical covalent and ionic bond families, there exists a class of charge-shift (CS) bonds wherein the electron-pair fluctuation has the dominant role. Charge-shift bonding shows large covalent-ionic resonance interaction energy, and depleted charge densities, and features typical to repulsive interactions, albeit the bond itself may well be strong. This bonding type is rooted in a mechanism whereby the bond achieves equilibrium defined by the virial ratio. The CS bonding territory involves, for example, homopolar bonds of compact electronegative and/or lone-pair-rich elements, heteropolar bonds of these elements among themselves and with other atoms (for example, the metalloids, such as silicon and germanium), hypercoordinated molecules, and bonds whose covalent components are weakened by exchange-repulsion strain (as in [1.1.1]propellane). Here, we discuss experimental manifestations of CS bonding in chemistry, and outline new directions demonstrating the portability of the new concept.

Topology of Electron Charge Density for Chemical Bonds from Valence Bond Theory: A Probe of Bonding Types

To characterize the nature of bonding we derive the topological properties of the electron charge density of a variety of bonds based on ab initio valence bond methods. The electron density and its associated Laplacian are partitioned into covalent, ionic, and resonance components in the valence bond spirit. The analysis provides a density-based signature of bonding types and reveals, along with the classical covalent and ionic bonds, the existence of two-electron bonds in which most of the bonding arises from the covalent-ionic resonance energy, so-called charge-shift bonds. As expected, the covalent component of the Laplacian at the bond critical point is found to be largely negative for classical covalent bonds. In contrast, for charge-shift bonds, the covalent part of the Laplacian is small or positive, in agreement with the weakly attractive or repulsive character of the covalent interaction in these bonds. On the other hand, the resonance component of the Laplacian is always negative or nearly zero, and it increases in absolute value with the charge-shift character of the bond, in agreement with the decrease of kinetic energy associated with covalent-ionic mixing. A new interpretation of the topology of the total density at the bond critical point is proposed to characterize covalent, ionic, and charge-shift bonding from the density point of view.

The Inverted Bond in [1.1.1]Propellane is a Charge‐Shift Bond

Bonded or not bonded? An ab initio valence bond study of [1.1.1]propellane shows that the two bridgehead carbons are linked by a strong and direct sigma bond that is neither classically covalent nor classically ionic, but rather a charge-shift bond, in which the covalent-ionic resonance energy plays the major role. As such, the central bond of [1.1.1]propellane closely resembles the single bond of difluorine.

Heterolytic Bond Dissociation in Water: Why Is It So Easy for C4H9Cl But Not for C3H9SiCl?

The recently developed (Song, L.; Wu, W.; Zhang, Q.; Shaik, S. J. Phys. Chem. A 2004, 108, 6017-6024) valence bond method coupled to a polarized continuum model (VBPCM) is used to address the long standing conundrum of the heterolytic dissociation of the C-Cl and Si-Cl bonds, respectively, in tertiary-butyl chloride and trimethylsilyl chloride in condensed phases. The method is used here to compare the bond dissociation in the gas phase and in aqueous solution. In addition to the ground state reaction profile, VB theory also provides the energies of the purely covalent and purely ionic VB structures as a function of the reaction coordinate. Accordingly, the C-Cl and Si-Cl bonds are shown to be of different natures. In the gas phase, the resonance energy arising from covalent-ionic mixing at equilibrium geometry amounts to 42 kcal/mol for tertiary-butyl chloride, whereas the same quantity for trimethylsilyl chloride is significantly higher at 62 kcal/mol. With such a high value, the root cause of the Si-Cl bonding is the covalent-ionic resonance energy, and this bond belongs to the category of charge-shift bonds (Shaik, S.; Danovich, D.; Silvi, B.; Lauvergnat, D.; Hiberty, P. C. Chem.- Eur. J. 2005, 11, 6358). This difference between the C-Cl and Si-Cl bonds carries over to the solvated phase and impacts the heterolytic cleavages of the two bonds. For both molecules, solvation lowers the ionic curve below the covalent one, and hence the bond dissociation in the solvent generates the two ions, Me3E+ Cl- (E = C, Si). In both cases, the root cause of the barrier is the loss of the covalent-ionic resonance energy. In the heterolysis reaction of Si-Cl, the covalent-ionic resonance energy remains large and fully contributes to the dissociation energy, thereby leading to a high barrier for heterolytic cleavage, and thus prohibiting the generation of ions. By contrast, the covalent-ionic resonance energy is smaller for the C-Cl bond and only partially contributes to the barrier for heterolysis, which is consequently small, leading readily to ions that are commonly observed in the classical SN1 mechanism. Thus, the reluctance of R3Si-X molecules to undergo heterolysis in condensed phases and more generally the rarity of free silicenium ions under these conditions are experimental manifestations of the charge-shift character of the Si-Cl bond.

The physical origin of large covalent–ionic resonance energies in some two-electron bonds

This study uses valence bond (VB) theory to analyze in detail the previously established finding that alongside the two classical bond families of covalent and ionic bonds, which describe the electron-pair bond, there exists a distinct class of charge-shift bonds (CS-bonds) in which the fluctuation of the electron pair density plays a dominant role. Such bonds are characterized by weak binding, or even a repulsive, covalent component, and by a large covalent-ionic resonance energy RE(cs) that is responsible for the major part, or even for the totality, of the bonding energy. In the present work, the nature of CS-bonding and its fundamental mechanisms are analyzed in detail by means of a VB study of some typical homonuclear bonds (H-H, H3C-CH3, H2N-NH2, HO-OH, F-F, and Cl-Cl), ranging from classical-covalent to fully charge-shift bonds. It is shown that CS-bonding is characterized by a covalent dissociation curve with a shallow minimum situated at long interatomic distances, or even a fully repulsive covalent curve. As the atoms that are involved in the bond are taken from left to right or from bottom to top of the periodic table, the weakening effect of the adjacent bonds or lone pairs increases, while at the same time the reduced resonance integral, that couples the covalent and ionic forms, increases. As a consequence, the weakening of the covalent interaction is gradually compensated by a strengthening of CS-bonding. The large RE(cs) quantity of CS-bonds is shown to be an outcome of the mechanism necessary to establish equilibrium and optimum bonding during bond formation. It is shown that the shrinkage of the orbitals in the covalent structure lowers the potential energy, V, but excessively raises the kinetic energy, T, thereby tipping the virial ratio off-balance. Subsequent addition of the ionic structures lowers T while having a lesser effect on V, thus restoring the requisite virial ratio (T/-V = 1/2). Generalizing to typically classical covalent bonds, like H-H or C-C bonds, the mechanism by which the virial ratio is obeyed during bond formation is primarily orbital shrinkage, and therefore the charge-shift resonance energy has only a small corrective effect. On the other hand, for bonds bearing adjacent lone pairs and/or involving electronegative atoms, like F-F or Cl-Cl, the formation of the bond corresponds to a large increase of kinetic energy, which must be compensated for by a large participation or covalent-ionic mixing.

Barriers of Hydrogen Abstraction vs Halogen Exchange: An Experimental Manifestation of Charge-Shift Bonding

This paper shows that the differences between the barriers of the halogen exchange reactions, in the H + XH systems, and the hydrogen abstraction reactions, in the X + HX systems (X = F, Cl, Br), measure the covalent-ionic resonance energies of the corresponding X-H bonds. These processes are investigated using CCSD(T) calculations as well as the breathing-orbital valence bond (BOVB) method. Thus, the VB analysis shows that (i) at the level of covalent structures the barriers are the same for the two series and (ii) the higher barriers for halogen exchange processes originate solely from the less efficient mixing of the ionic structures into the respective covalent structures. The barrier differences, in the HXH vs XHX series, which decrease as X is varied from F to I, can be estimated as one-quarter of the covalent-ionic resonance energy of the H-X bond. The largest difference (22 kcal/mol) is calculated for X = F in accord with the finding that the H-F bond possesses the largest covalent-ionic resonance energy, 87 kcal/mol, which constitutes the major part of the bonding energy. The H-F bond belongs to the class of "charge-shift" bonds (Shaik, S.; Danovich, D.; Silvi, B.; Lauvergnat, D. L.; Hiberty, P. C. Chem. Eur. J. 2005, 21, 6358), which are all typified by dominant covalent-ionic resonance energies. Since the barrier difference between the two series is an experimental measure of the resonance energy quantity, in the particular case of X = F, the unusually high barrier for the fluorine exchange reaction emerges as an experimental manifestation of charge-shift bonding.

Charge‐Shift Bonding—A Class of Electron‐Pair Bonds That Emerges from Valence Bond Theory and Is Supported by the Electron Localization Function Approach

This paper deals with a central paradigm of chemistry, the electron-pair bond. Valence bond (VB) theory and electron-localization function (ELF) calculations of 21 single bonds demonstrate that along the two classical bond families of covalent and ionic bonds, there exists a class of charge-shift bonds (CS bonds) in which the fluctuation of the electron pair density plays a dominant role. In VB theory, CS bonding manifests by way of a large covalent-ionic resonance energy, RE(CS), and in ELF by a depleted basin population with large variances (fluctuations). CS bonding is shown to be a fundamental mechanism that is necessary to satisfy the equilibrium condition, namely the virial ratio of the kinetic and potential energy contributions to the bond energy. The paper defines the atomic propensity and territory for CS bonding: Atoms (fragments) that are prone to CS bonding are compact electronegative and/or lone-pair-rich species. As such, the territory of CS bonding transcends considerations of static charge distribution, and involves: a) homopolar bonds of heteroatoms with zero static ionicity, b) heteropolar sigma and pi bonds of the electronegative and/or electron-pair-rich elements among themselves and to other atoms (e.g., the higher metalloids, Si, Ge, Sn, etc), c) all hypercoordinate molecules. Several experimental manifestations of charge-shift bonding are discussed, such as depleted bonding density, the rarity of ionic chemistry of silicon in condensed phases, and the high barriers of halogen-transfer reactions as compared to hydrogen-transfers.

A Valence Bond Study of the Bonding in First Row Transition Metal Hydride Cations: What Energetic Role Does Covalency Play?

The transition metal hydride cations, TMH+ (TM = first transition metal row, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn), have been studied using valence bond (VB) theory to elucidate the bonding in these systems through VB concepts. Although the bonds appear extremely covalent by virtue of charge distribution, this appearance conceals key contributions to bonding, such as covalent-ionic resonance energy (RECS) and relaxation energy of the inactive electrons (ΔErelax(inactive)). The RECS term is seen to increase from ScH+ toward ZnH+, becoming significant in the late TMH+ molecules. The ΔErelax(inactive) term, which accounts for the nonbonding 3dn electrons and the 3s23p6 core electrons, is always significant. Furthermore, for all of the bonds from CrH+ to CuH+, the relaxation term makes a major contribution to the bond energy. It appears therefore, that in these TM−H+ bonds, the spin pairing of the bonding electrons can act as a trigger for the nonbonding and adjacent core electrons to relax their Pauli repulsion and thereby strengthen the binding of TM+ and H. As a result of the general weakness of TM bonds, the relaxation is expected to frequently be an important bonding contribution. The major function of the inactive and core electrons shows that the traditional role of “covalency” must be reassessed in a systematic manner.

Natural resonance theory: II. Natural bond order and valency

Resonance weights derived from the Natural Resonance Theory .NRT , introduced in the preceding paper are used to calculate ''natural bond order,'' ''natural atomic valency,'' and other atomic and bond indices reflecting the resonance composition of the wave function. These indices are found to give significantly better agreement with observed properties empirical valency, . bond lengths than do corresponding MO-based indices. A characteristic feature of the NRT treatment is the description of bond polarity by a ''bond ionicity'' . index resonance-averaged NBO polarization ratio , which replaces the ''covalent-ionic resonance'' of Pauling-Wheland theory and explicity exhibits the complementary relationship of covalency and electrovalency that underlies empirical assignments of atomic valency. We present ab initio NRT applications . to prototype saturated and unsaturated molecules methylamine, butadiene , . polar compounds fluoromethanes , and open-shell species: hydroxymethyl . radical to demonstrate the numerical stability, convergence, and chemical reasonableness of the NRT bond indices in comparison to other measures of valency and bond order in current usage. Q 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 610)627, 1998

Valence bond studies of theD2h isomer of O4: An interim report

Single-zeta and π-electron double-zeta basis sets are used to examine some theories of the origin of the stability of the D2h isomer of O4, using ab initio valence-bond procedures. With these basis sets, resonance between covalent-type (i.e., O2 ·· O2) valence-bond structures does not lead to a stabilization of the dimer relative to the separated monomers. When basis sets of the same size are used to construct wave functions for covalent and ionic structures, covalent-ionic resonance (i.e., O2 ·· O2 ↔ O2+ ·· O2− ↔ O2− ·· O2+) is also unable to stabilize the dimer. Without consideration of the basis-set superposition error, stability is obtained when the size of the AO basis is increased for the dimer relative to the monomer, either via the basis for the ionic structures or by the inclusion of midbond functions. Brief consideration is given to an increased-valence structure for the dimer. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 63: 547–555, 1997

A valence bond study of the origin of the planarity of the C 2N 2O 2 units of cis and trans C-nitroso dimers

The results of some ab initio valence bond studies for cis, trans and perpendicular N-N dimers of HNO are reported, and used to provide a valence bond rationalization for the origin of the observed planarity, or near-planarity, of the C 2N 2O 2 units of cis and trans C-nitroso dimers. It is shown that as a consequence of some delocalization of the oxygen π electrons of the Lewis structures A and B: ▪ the planarity is associated with Pauling three-electron bond (N̈N̊ ⇔ N̊N̈) covalent-ionic resonance in the planar isomers, for example C⇔ D + mirror-image structures for the cis isomer: ▪ as well as with the presence of an N-N electron-pair π bond in planar A and B. The relative importance of these two types of contributions depends on the extent of oxygen π electron delocalization.