Regarding the linear I6 -molecule (7 electrons in the chain for 5 bonds), this system has similarities with the linear I4 -molecule (5 electrons in the chain). I4 -had a single I•I bond, which could not be helped by bending (a 2-electron process). I6 -has 3 I•I bonds, thus, like in I4 -, there is a lack of another I•I bond and there is no possible symmetric bending to stabilize the system. Moreover, any possible bending process would have 4 iodine atoms in a row connected by 2 electrons each: as ERMB cannot extend beyond a 3 atoms system, there is little to do to remedy the I6 -anion instability. As a matter of fact, I6 -has not been experimentally observed to our knowledge. The case of the linear I7 -molecule (8 electrons in the chain for 6 bonds) is also interesting (Figure ). Here, the reasoning for the linear molecule is similar to that of the linear I5 -molecule. In fact, a similar situation to I5 -is envisaged, only with the requirement of bending around two atomic positions (atoms 3 and 5), in a Z-like fashion, thus reaching formally 12 electrons for 6 bonds. Octet concerns arise due to the bending process for atoms 2 and 6, while atom 4 finds itself in a linear 3-atomic moiety, 3-4-5, which is in an I3 --like situation. Thus, the I2-I3-I2 formal complex emerges naturally, together with expected (and experimentally found) average bond lengths (2.7(3) Å -bonds 1-2 and 6-7, 3.2(1) Å -bonds 2-3 and 5-6, 2.9(2) Å -bonds 3-4 and 4-5 -CSD data on 19 deposited crystal structures, cf. Supporting Information). Therefore, the Z-like bent I7 -molecule can be seen again as 3 merged 3c-4e systems fused for 2 atoms (3 and 5), although the electron sharing becomes more and more uneven, a feature already observed for I5 -with respect to I3 -. Proposed graphs help show how the existence of longer bonds in polyiodides, like those within the formal I2 and formal I3 -fragment, arises naturally as per a necessary compromise between donating electrons of LEPs to 2c-1e bonds and violating the octet rule for some involved atoms. Thus, both bond modulation and bond lengths beyond Coppens threshold (3.30 Å) appear justified. The complete dismissal of such long bonds as noncovalent interactions requires reconsideration in the light of the EDMB model. Structural arguments in support of this view were previously raised and find here a conceptual framework.