Chemical bonding in cuprous complexes with simple nitriles: octet rule and resonance concepts versus quantitative charge-redistribution analysis

Abstract

Chemical bonding in a set of six cuprous complexes with simple nitriles (CN⁻, HNC, HCN, CH₃NC, and CH₃CN) is investigated by means of a recently devised analysis scheme framed in density-functional theory and quantitatively singling out concurrent charge flows such as σ donation and π backdonation. The results of our analysis are comparatively assessed against qualitative models for charge redistribution based on the popular concepts of octet rule and resonance structures, and the relative importance of different charge-flow channels relating to σ donation, π back-donation, polarization, and hyperconjugation is discussed on a quantitative basis.