ABSTRACT:Theoretical calculations were performed to study the nature of the hydrogen bonds in the complexes HCHO⅐⅐⅐HSO, HCOOH⅐⅐⅐HSO, HCHO⅐⅐⅐HOO, and HCOOH⅐⅐⅐HOO. The geometric structures and vibrational frequencies of these four complexes at the MP2/6-31G(d,p) and MP2/6-311ϩG(d,p) levels are calculated by standard and counterpoise-corrected methods, respectively. The results indicate that in the complexes HCHO⅐⅐⅐HSO and HCOOH⅐⅐⅐HSO the SOH bond is strongly contracted. In the SOH⅐⅐⅐O hydrogen bonds, the calculated blue shifts for the SOH stretching frequencies are in the vicinity of 50 cm
Ϫ1. While in the complexes HCHO⅐⅐⅐HOO and HCOOH⅐⅐⅐HOO, the OOH bond is elongated and OOH⅐⅐⅐O red-shifted hydrogen bonds are found. From the natural bond orbital analysis it can be seen that the XOH bond length in the XOH⅐⅐⅐Y hydrogen bond is controlled by a balance of four main factors in the opposite directions: hyperconjugation, electron density redistribution, rehybridization, and structural reorganization. Among them hyperconjugation has the effect of elongating the XOH bond. Electron density redistribution and rehybridization belong to the bond shortening effects, while structural reorganization has an uncertain influence on the XOH bond length. In the complexes HCHO⅐⅐⅐HSO and HCOOH⅐⅐⅐HSO, the shortening effects dominate which lead to the blue shift of the SOH stretching frequencies. In the complexes HCHO⅐⅐⅐HOO and HCOOH⅐⅐⅐HOO where elongating effects are dominant, the OOH⅐⅐⅐O hydrogen bonds are red-shifted.