Intermolecular Interactions between Halogen-Substituted p-Benzoquinones and Halide Anions: Anion-π Complexes versus Halogen Bonding

Intermolecular interactions between halo-substituted p-benzoquinones (BQ) and halide anions were examined in solution, solid-state and/or in silico. While X-ray crystallography revealed only halogen bonding (XB) between tetraiodo-p-benzoquinone (I₄Q) and halides, the results of a UV-Vis study in solutions were consistent with the formation of 1 : 1 anion-π complexes. DFT computations showed that the anion-π complexes of halides with most halo-substituted BQ molecules were more stable (by 2–7 kcal/mol) than their XB analogues, but the stabilities of different complexes of I₄Q were essentially the same. Thus, the structural features of the co-crystals with I₄Q were related to multicenter XB interactions between BQs and halides, thus leading to the formation of 3D networks. The observation of anion-π complexes in solutions was attributed to their higher molar absorptivity (by more than an order of magnitude) than that of their XB analogues. Overall, the stabilities of anion-π and XB complexes between BQs and halides were well correlated with the values of highest electrostatic potentials on the surfaces of BQ molecules when their polarizations were taken into account.