Covalent bond orders for non-bonded atoms: The case for carbon-carbon interactions

The Cioslowski-Mixon (CM) covalent bond order and the atoms-in-molecules (AIM) delocalization index can be used to study bonding characteristics between atoms not bonded in the conventional chemical sense. In particular, the bond orders between atoms (AIM basins) with one intervening atom evolve in a predictable manner and are related to the bond orders of conventionally bonded species. The CM approach shows that it is the tails of the incompletely localized orbitals that provide for such interactions. Single, multiple, and resonant bond effects are seen which are physically meaningful and useful as an additional characterization of molecular bonding. The important case of carbon-carbon interactions is studied here.