The chalcogen bond is a nonclassical σ-hole-based noncovalent interaction with emerging applications in medicinal chemistry and material science. It is found in organic compounds, including 2D aromatics, but has so far never been observed in 3D aromatic inorganic boron hydrides. Thiaboranes, harboring a sulfur heteroatom in the icosahedral cage, are candidates for the formation of chalcogen bonds. The phenyl-substituted thiaborane, synthesized and crystalized in this study, forms sulfur⋅⋅⋅π type chalcogen bonds. Quantum chemical analysis revealed that these interactions are considerably stronger than both in their organic counterparts and in the known halogen bond. The reason is the existence of a highly positive σ-hole on the positively charged sulfur atom. This discovery expands the possibilities of applying substituted boron clusters in crystal engineering and drug design.

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Strategies for the Design of PEDOT Analogues Unraveled: the Use of Chalcogen Bonds and σ-Holes

Chalcogen bonds: Hierarchical ab initio benchmark and density functional theory performance study

A Quantitative Molecular Orbital Perspective of the Chalcogen Bond

The Influence of Halogenated Hypercarbon on Crystal Packing in the Series of 1-Ph-2-X-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboranes (X = F, Cl, Br, I)

Chalcogen Bonding due to the Exo-Substitution of Icosahedral Dicarbaborane