Substituent effects on the properties of the hemi-bonded complexes (XH2P···NH2Y)(+) (X, Y=H, F, Cl, Br, NH2, CH3, OH).

Ab initio calculations have been performed to study the structures, binding energies, and bonding properties of the hemi-bonded binary complexes (XH2P···NH2Y)(+) with the substituents X and Y being H, F, Cl, Br, NH2, CH3, and OH. The P···N interactions in these open-shelled systems have typical pnicogen bond characteristics but much stronger than the usual pnicogen bonds in closed-shell systems. This P···N bond can be strengthened by an electron-withdrawing substituent X or an electron-donating substituent Y, the bonding energy varies from 17 kcal mol(-1) of (CH3H2P···NH2F)(+) to 54 kcal mol(-1) of (FH2P···NH2CH3)(+). A nearly linear X-P···N arrangement is required by the pnicogen bond P···N and results in a strong hyperconjugation and charge transfer from the N lone pair to the X-P σ* antibond orbital for α spin, the P···N interaction is described as a single-electron σ bond of β spin. The AIM and NBO analyses revealed that the P···N bonds in the majority of the hemi-bonded complexes are partly covalent in nature. Graphical Abstract The P···N interactions in the open-shelled systems (XH2P···NH2Y)(+) (X, Y=H, F, Cl, Br, NH2, CH3, OH) with bonding energy of 17~54 kcal mol(-1) have typical pnicogen bond characteristics but much stronger than the usual pnicogen bonds in closed-shell systems. This P···N bond can be strengthened by an electron-withdrawing substituent X or an electron-donating substituent Y.