Comprehensive studies of the molecular and electronic structures, vibrational frequencies, and infrared and Raman intensities of the aniline radical cation, ${\mathrm{C}}_6{\mathrm{H}}_5{\mathrm{NH}}_2^{+}$ have been performed by using the unrestricted density functional (UB3LYP) and second-order Møller–Plesset (UMP2) methods with the extended 6-311++G(df,pd) basis set. For comparison, analogous calculations were carried out for the closed-shell neutral aniline. The studies provided detailed insight into the bonding changes that take place in aniline upon ionization. The natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis has revealed that the pπ-radical conjugative interactions are of prime importance in stabilizing the planar, quinoid-type structure of the aniline radical cation. It is shown that the natural charges calculated for aniline are consistent with the chemical properties of this molecule (an ortho- and para-directing power of the ${\mathrm{NH}}_2$ group in electrophilic substitutions), whereas Mulliken charges are not reliable. The theoretical vibrational frequencies of aniline, calculated by the B3LYP method, show excellent agreement with the available experimental data. In contrast, the MP2 method is deficient in predicting the frequencies of several modes in aniline, despite the use of the extended basis set in calculations. The frequencies of aniline radical cation, calculated at the UB3LYP/6-311++G(df,pd) level, are in very good agreement with the recently reported experimental data from zero kinetic energy photoelectron and infrared depletion spectroscopic studies. The clear- cut assignment of the IR and Raman spectra of the investigated molecules has been made on the basis of the calculated potential energy distributions. Several bands in the spectra have been reassigned. It is shown that ionization of aniline can be easily identified by the appearance of the very strong band at about 1490 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\text{−1}},$ in the Raman spectrum. The redshift of the N–H stretching frequencies and the blueshift of the C–H stretching frequencies are observed in aniline, upon ionization. As revealed by NBO analysis, the frequency shifts can be correlated with the increase of electron density (ED) on the antibonding orbitals ${\mathrm{(\sigma }}_{\mathrm{NH}}^{*})$ and decrease of ED on ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{CH}}^{*},$ respectively. These effects are associated with a weakening of N–H bonds and strengthening of C–H bonds in the aniline radical cation. The simulated theoretical Raman and infrared spectra of aniline and its radical cation, reported in this work, can be used in further spectroscopic studies of their van der Waals clusters and hydrogen bonded complexes.

Over the last years, scientific interest in noncovalent interactions based on the presence of electron-depleted regions called σ-holes or π-holes has markedly accelerated. Their high directionality and strength, comparable to hydrogen bonds, has been documented in many fields of modern chemistry. The current review gathers and digests recent results concerning these bonds, with a focus on those systems where both σ and π-holes are present on the same molecule. The underlying principles guiding the bonding in both sorts of interactions are discussed, and the trends that emerge from recent work offer a guide as to how one might design systems that allow multiple noncovalent bonds to occur simultaneously, or that prefer one bond type over another.