Spontaneous self-ionization in the gas phase: a theoretical prediction.

Proton transfer between dimers is associated with strong bases and very good hydrogen bond donors, namely, between very different chemical species. A spontaneous self-ionization and concomitant proton transfer can occur in dimers involving phosphinic acid derivatives (see picture), even when they present the same functional group. It is also possible, by choosing the appropriate substituents, to modulate the degree of the interaction, from a hydrogen bonded complex to an ion pair, without changing the nature of the functional groups involved.