Chalcogen bonding interaction between ebselen and nitrite promote N -nitrosation of amines.

Ebselen (EbSe), a therapeutically significant molecule, is shown to exhibit chalcogen bonding interaction with nitrite anion (ONO-). This report suggests that the σ-holes of EbSe are powerful for offering weak but influential interactions towards biologically relevant ONO-, thereby assisting oxidative transformations like N -nitrosation of aromatic amines.