M(BO)^- Anions: Novel Superhalogens Based on Boronyl Ligands

Superhalogens have been a subject of continuous attraction in the last four decades due to their unusual structures and interesting applications. In the quest for new superhalogens based on boronyl (BO) ligands, we investigate M(BO)^- anions using a high-level ab initio CCSD(T) and B3LYP density functional method for M = Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, Ca, B, and Al. Their structures are linear for M = Li, Na, K; trigonal planar for M = Be, Mg, Ca; and tetrahedral for M = B, Al. These anions are energetically and thermodynamically stable against various fragmentations. Their superhalogen property has been established due to their higher vertical detachment energy (VDE) than halogen, being in the range 4.44-7.81 eV. For a given k, the stability and VDE of M(BO)^- anions decrease with an increase in the size of M, which is due to the decrease in charge delocalization on BO moieties. There exists a linear correlation between frontier orbitals energy gap and VDE with coefficient R² = 0.93888. It was also noticed that the BO ligand, due to the lower dimerization energy, can be preferably used as an inorganic analogue of CN. However, the structural relaxation in BO-based neutral species significantly affect the VDE and, hence, their superhalogen nature. We believe that these findings should be interesting for researchers working in superatomic chemistry as well as in boron chemistry.