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NO3- anions can act as Lewis acid in the solid state.

ABSTRACT: Identifying electron donating and accepting moieties is crucial to understanding molecular aggregation, which is of pivotal significance to biology. Anions such as NO3- are typical electron donors. However, computations predict that the charge distribution of NO3- is anisotropic and minimal on nitrogen. Here we show that when the nitrate's charge is sufficiently dampened by resonating over a larger area, a Lewis acidic site emerges on nitrogen that can interact favourably with electron rich partners. Surveys of the Cambridge Structural Database and Protein Data Bank reveal geometric preferences of some oxygen and sulfur containing entities around a nitrate anion that are consistent with this '?-hole bonding' geometry. Computations reveal donor-acceptor orbital interactions that confirm the counterintuitive Lewis ?-acidity of nitrate.

SUBMITTER: Bauza A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5321794 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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NO3- anions can act as Lewis acid in the solid state.

Bauzá Antonio A Frontera Antonio A Mooibroek Tiddo J TJ

Nature communications 20170221

Identifying electron donating and accepting moieties is crucial to understanding molecular aggregation, which is of pivotal significance to biology. Anions such as NO3- are typical electron donors. However, computations predict that the charge distribution of NO3- is anisotropic and minimal on nitrogen. Here we show that when the nitrate's charge is sufficiently dampened by resonating over a larger area, a Lewis acidic site emerges on nitrogen that can ...[more]

PMID: 28220788

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Project description:The benzoylcyanoxime, NC-C(=N-OH)-C(O)-C6H5 (later H(BCO)), represents a new ampolydentate ligand that received attention in the light of useful biological properties of its coordination compounds. Colorless H(BCO), upon deprotonation, gains color that depends on the counter-cation and the system in general. Five derivatives of H(BCO), with colorless organic and inorganic mono-cations - Cs, Tl, Ag, N(CH3)4 and As(C6H5)4 - were synthesized and characterized by the X-ray analysis, vibrational and electronic spectroscopy. Compounds exhibited unexpected and significant differences in color, both in solid state and in solutions, that were challenging to explain, thereby warranting detailed investigation including high-level DFT/TDFT computations. It was found that the BCO- anion demonstrates negative solvatochromic in polar protic ROH (R = H, CH3, C2H5, C3H7, C4H9) solvents, and appears yellow in color, as tetraalkylammonium or alkali metal salts. In polar aprotic solvents, such as CH3CN, DMF, and DMSO, solutions of the BCO- anion are red. The color originates from n→π* transition in the anion. Solid state structures evidenced a considerable dependence on planarity of the BCO- anion on its color, as well as on the character of bonding in the C-N-O fragment: yellow color is associated with an oxime (bond length C-N is shorter than N-O), while red color is due to the nitroso character (bond length C-N is longer than the N-O). An addition of ethanol to red solutions of the BCO-containing salts leads to the color change to yellow, which is the result of the formation of an H-bond between the C-N-O fragment of cyanoxime and the solvent, also leading to the flattening of the structure. An explanation for this new color-changing effect was offered, based on experimental evidence and TD/DFT calculations. Glossary: H(BCO) is 1-cyano-1-oximino-acetophenone, or benzoylcyanoxime; BCO- is anion of the benzoylcyanoxime; AsPh4 + is tetraphenylarsonium cation; MMe4 + is tetramethyammonium cation; ROH - alcohols; DMF - dimethylformamide; DMSO - dimethylsulfoxide; AN - acetonitrile; DFT -Density Functional Theory; TDDFT - Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory.

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NO3- anions can act as Lewis acid in the solid state.

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NO<sub>3</sub>- anions can act as Lewis acid in the solid state.

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