DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201200068

Electrostatics at the Origin of the Stability of Phosphate-Phosphate Complexes Locked by Hydrogen Bonds

Ab initio calculations reveal that hydrogen bonds can lock phosphates into stable gas-phase complexes, showing that hydrogen bonding can overcome anion–anion repulsion. These complexes present a large energetic barrier of dissociation (see picture). The stability of the complexes can be explained in terms of the electrostatic interaction in the hydrogen-bond region.