Direct evidence of a multicentre halogen bond: unexpected contraction of the P-XXX-P fragment in triphenylphosphine dihalides.

Triphenylhalophosphonium halides, Ph(3)PX(2), form crystals comprising bridged linear cations [Ph(3)P-X-X-X-PPh(3)](+) where the X(3) bridge is shortened from 6.56 Å in Cl-Cl-Cl to 6.37 Å in the Br-Br-Br system. It is proposed that this structure is stabilised by five-centre/six-electron (5c-6e) hypervalent interactions.