The nature of the idealized triple bonds between principal elements and the σ origins of trans-bent geometries-a valence bond study

We describe herein a valence bond (VB) study of 27 triply bonded molecules of the general type X≡Y, where X and Y are main element atoms/fragments from groups 13-15 in the periodic table. The following conclusions were derived from the computational data: (a) Single π-bond and double π-bond energies for the entire set correlate with the "molecular electronegativity", which is the sum of the X and Y electronegativites for X≡Y. The correlation with the molecular electronegativity establishes a simple rule of periodicity: π-bonding strength generally increases from left to right in a period and decreases down a column in the periodic table. (b) The σ frame invariably prefers trans bending, while π-bonding gets destabilized and opposes the trans distortion. In HC≡CH, the π-bonding destabilization overrides the propensity of the σ frame to distort, while in the higher row molecules, the σ frame wins out and establishes trans-bent molecules with 2¹/₂ bonds, in accord with recent experimental evidence based on solid state ²⁹Si NMR of the Sekiguchi compound. Thus, in the trans-bent molecules "less bonds pay more". (c) All of the π bonds show significant bonding contributions from the resonance energy due to covalent-ionic mixing. This quantity is shown to correlate linearly with the corresponding "molecular electronegativity" and to reflect the mechanism required to satisfy the equilibrium condition for the bond. The π bonds for molecules possessing high molecular electronegativity are charge-shift bonds, wherein bonding is dominated by the resonance energy of the covalent and ionic forms, rather than by either form by itself.