Computational Studies of Ion Pairing. 8. Ion Pairing of Tetraalkylammonium Ions to Nitrosobenzene and Benzaldehyde Redox Species. A General Binding Motif for the Interaction of Tetraalkylammonium Ions with Benzenoid Species

Very little data is available on the detailed structures of ion pairs in solution, since few general experimental methods are available for obtaining such information. For this reason, computational methods have emerged as the method of choice for determining the structures of organic ion pairs in solution. The present study examines the ion pairs between a series of tetraalkylammonium ions and several redox forms of nitrosobenzene and a series of substituted benzaldehydes. The structures, though previously unexpected, are chemically reasonable and fit into a previous pattern of ion pairing described in previous publications in this series. To date in these studies, a total of 73 ion pairs and related species have in fact been identified having exactly the same unusual orientation of the tetraalkylammonium component with respect to the donor species. The results are pertinent to topics of general current interest, including self-assembly, molecular recognition, and supramolecular assembly.