Pb···π Aryl Interactions as Supramolecular Synthons
A survey of lead (Pb) structures containing Pb···π aryl interactions has been conducted. Such contacts usually lead to zero- or one-dimensional aggregates with rare examples of two- and three-dimensional architectures. The Pb···π aryl interactions are found only in crystal structures containing lead(ii) centres and arise as a result of electron donation of the lead-bound lone pair of electrons to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the accepting aryl ring. The prevalence of Pb···π interactions as a supramolecular synthon is relatively low, occurring in ~3% of all structures containing lead and at least one aryl ring, but these are more likely to form compared with Sn···π interactions.