Intermolecular atom–atom bonds in crystals – a chemical perspective

Intermolecular atom–atom bonds in crystals – a chemical perspective1

Short atom-atom distances between molecules are almost always indicative of specific intermolecular bonding. These distances may be used to assess the significance of all hydrogen bonds, including the C-H⋯O and even weaker C-H⋯F varieties.

Intermolecular atom–atom bonds in crystals?1

The concept of interatomic bonds with more or less characteristic internuclear bond distances and bond energies is firmly established in molecular chemistry. The transfer of this concept to the world of intermolecular arrangements in crystals is appealing and has come into wide usage in discussions of actual and possible crystal structures. However, there are circumstances that render such a tr...

Intermolecular contrast in atomic force microscopy images without intermolecular bonds.

Intermolecular features in atomic force microscopy images of organic molecules have been ascribed to intermolecular bonds. A recent theoretical study [P. Hapala et al., Phys. Rev. B 90, 085421 (2014)] showed that these features can also be explained by the flexibility of molecule-terminated tips. We probe this effect by carrying out atomic force microscopy experiments on a model system that con...

A role for intermolecular disulfide bonds in prion diseases?

The key event in prion diseases seems to be the conversion of the prion protein PrP from its normal cellular isoform (PrP(C)) to an aberrant "scrapie" isoform (PrP(Sc)). Earlier studies have detected no covalent modification in the scrapie isoform and have concluded that the PrP(C) --> PrP(Sc) conversion is a purely conformational transition involving no chemical reactions. However, a reexamina...

Ionic character of bonds in crystals.