Molecular Recognition, Transient Chirality and Sulfur Hydrogen Bonding in the Benzyl Mercaptan Dimer

The homodimers of transiently chiral molecules offer physical insight into the process molecular recognition, preference for homo or heterochiral aggregation and nature non-covalent interactions stabilizing adducts. We report observation benzyl mercaptan dimer in isolation conditions a supersonic jet expansion, using broadband (chirped-pulse) microwave spectroscopy. A single homochiral isomer was observed dimer, stabilized by cooperative sequence S-H···S S-H···π hydrogen bonds. structural data, stabilization energies energy decomposition describe these as weak dispersion-controlled. comparison is also provided with alcohol dimer.