Understanding the Boundaries between CH···π Hydrogen Bonds and van der Waals Forces in the Methyl Halide Series

We are requesting 5 days on SANDALS to study weak CH∙∙∙π hydrogen bonding in the liquid state, in order to understand where hydrogen bonding ends and van der Waals forces begin. We will study the trend of bonding interactions between benzene and the 7 liquid methyl halides: dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrachloromethane, dibromomethane, bromoform, iodomethane and diiodomethane. The series will allow us to independently control hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions to isolate and study the behaviour of carbon as hydrogen bonding donor and acceptor in CH···π interactions.