Structure of bis[8-(phenylselanyl)naphthyl] diselenide: first linear alignment of four Se atoms as a four-centre six-electron bond

Abstract

X-Ray crystallographic analysis of bis[8-(phenylselanyl)naphthyl] diselenide 1 reveals that the four selenium atoms in 1 align almost linearly with the angles of the adjacent three Se atoms 176.9 and 170.3° respectively; the linear bond was shown to be a four-centre six-electron (4c–6e) bond by MO calculations.