Dihydrogen bonds: Novel feature of hydrogen bond interactions

Abstract

The term dihydrogen bond (DHB) describes two hydrogen atoms being usually in contact closer than the corresponding sum of van der Waals radii. One of the hydrogen atoms is negatively charged while the second has a positive charge. This type of interaction was found in the crystal structures of metal-organic compounds in the middle of 1990s. There has been a vast number of theoretical and experimental studies on DHBs. Generally, it is the interaction between the Lewis acid and the Lewis base, similarly as a hydrogen bond (HB). Numerous investigations show that the DHB can be considered as a special type of HB since the analyses of energetic, geometrical, and topological parameters show similarities between both types of interactions. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.