Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Preparation of SNS CobaltII Pincer Model Complexes of Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase
Published on: March 19, 2020
Coordination diversity in hydrogen-bonded homoleptic fluoride-alcohol complexes modulates reactivity
Keary M Engle1, Lukas Pfeifer1, George W Pidgeon1
1Chemistry Research Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , Oxford University , OX1 3TA , UK .
None:
The nucleophilic reactivity of fluoride ion is altered in the presence of hydrogen-bond donors, including alcohols. Relatively little is known about the coordination involved; to rectify this, the X-ray structures of fourteen novel fluoride-alcohol complexes with tetrabutylammonium as the counterion have been determined. The coordination number varies from two to four depending on the steric bulk of the alcohol and is closely linked to trends in reactivity. This diversity in coordination stoichiometry is unprecedented but significant, as it implies differences in the ability of the fluoride-alcohol complexes to dissociate in solution with release of a more active and/or selective fluoride source.
Related Concept Videos
Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
Hydrogen Bonds
Valence Bond Theory
Valence Bond Theory
IR Spectrum Peak Broadening: Hydrogen Bonding
However, the extent of hydrogen bonding influences the observed stretching frequency and band broadening. Intermolecular or intramolecular...
Coordination Number and Geometry

