Crystallographic and Conformational Analysis of [(E)-2-[(3-Chlorophenylimino)methy])-4-methoxyphenol]

Abstract

The crystal structure of C14H12ClNO2 was determined by X-ray analysis. It crystallizes in the triclinic space group Pc with a = 12.5346(10) angstrom, b = 4.5101(3) angstrom, c = 12.0534(11) angstrom, alpha = 90.008, beta = 113.669(6)degrees, gamma = 90.00 degrees, Z = 2, Dx = 1.393 mg/m(3), mu (MoK alpha) = 0.298 mm(-1). The title compound is photochromic and molecule is non-planar. It adopts a phenol-imine tautomeric form with a strong intramolecular O-H center dot center dot center dot N hydrogen bond and a strong intermolecular C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bond. Minimum energy conformations AM1 were calculated as a function of the three torsion angles theta 1(C10-C9-N1-C8), theta 2(C9-N1-C8-C1) and theta 3(N1-C8-C1-C6), varied every 10 degrees. As in the X-ray experiment results, molecule has an angle that makes it non-planar between two aromatic rings in AM1 optimized geometry.