This communication reports experimental and theoretical evidences of σ-hole interactions in adducts between nitrogen or oxygen nucleophiles and tetroxides of osmium or other group 8 elements. Cocrystals between pyridine or pyridine N-oxide derivatives and osmium tetroxide are characterized through various techniques and rationalized as σ-hole interactions using DFT calculations and several other computational tools. We propose the term "osme bond" (OmB, Om=Fe, Ru, Os, (Hs)) for naming the noncovalent interactions wherein group 8 elements have the role of the electrophile. The word osme is the transcription of ὀσμή, the ancient Greek word for smell that was used to name the heaviest group 8 element in relation to the smoky odor of its tetroxide.
Keywords: adducts; group 8 elements; noncovalent interactions; sigma-hole; transition metal.
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