Chalcogenodiazoles have been intensively studied in recent years in the context of their supramolecular chemistry. In contrast, the newly discovered cationic 1,2,4-selenodiazole supramolecular building blocks, which can be obtained via coupling between 2-pyridylselenyl halides and nitriles, are virtually unexplored. A significant advantage of the latter is their facile structural tunability via the variation of nitriles, which could allow a fine tuning of their self-assembly in the solid state. Here, we explore the influence of the substituent (which derives from the nitrile) and counterions on the supramolecular assembly of cationic 1,2,4-selenodiazoles via chalcogen bonding.
Keywords: chalcogen bonding; cyclization reactions; cycloaddition; nitriles; non-covalent interactions; selenium heterocycles; selenodiazoles.