Chem. Soc. Rev. 27, 163-170 (1998)

DOI: 10.1039/a827163z

Non-convenional hydrogen bonds

Hydrogen bonds (HBs) are the most important ‘weak’ interactions encountered in solid, liquid and gas phases. The HB can be defined as an attractive interaction between two molecular moieties in which at least one of them contains a hydrogen atom that plays a fundamental role. Classical HBs correspond to those formed by two heteroatoms, A and B, with a hydrogen atom bonded to one of them and located approximately in between (A–H···B). Recently, knowledge of the number of functional groups which act as hydrogen bond donors or acceptors has increased considerably and most of these new groups are discussed.