Weak hydrogen bonding. Part 5. Experimental evidence for the long-range nature of CC–H ⋯π interactions: crystallographic and spectroscopic studies of three terminal alkynes

In the crystal structures of three terminal alkynes, long CC–H ⋯ CC contacts with H ⋯ C separations in the range 2.7–3.1 A are observed. Despite the long distances, these contacts possess the characteristic infrared spectroscopic features of weak hydrogen bonds. This provides direct evidence that the range of C–H ⋯π interactions donated by sufficiently acidic C–H groups extends beyond van der Waals separation. In two of the crystal structures, the C–H ⋯π interactions form interconnected systems CC–H ⋯ CC–H ⋯ CC–H.