Cation–pi interactions involve the positive charge of a cation interacting with the electrons in a π-system of a molecule. This interaction is surprisingly strong (as strong or stronger than H-bonding in some contexts), and has many potential applications in chemical sensors. For example, the sodium ion can easily sit atop the π cloud of a benzene molecule, with C symmetry (See figure 4).
Anion–π interactions are very similar to cation–π interactions, but reversed. In this case, an anion sits atop an electron-poor π-system, usually established by the placement of electron-withdrawing substituents on the conjugated molecule