Metal switches on iodine’s σ-hole
By 
Katrina Krämer2022-02-09T09:30:00
Iodine’s halogen-bonding ability can be switched on and off by creating ruthenium sandwich
A ruthenium sandwich can switch on iodobenzene’s halogen-bonding ability, increasing iodine’s σ-hole potential eight-fold.
Similar to hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds are non-covalent interactions. They form between a covalently-bonded halogen atom’s electrophilic region – the σ-hole – and a nucleophilic region in another (or the same) molecule. Halogens with a bigger σ-hole potential are better halogen-bond donors.