Hydrogen Bonding Is Not Everything: Extensive Polymorphism in a System with Conserved Hydrogen Bonded Synthons

• Published in: Crystal growth & design 2010-02, Vol.10 (2), p.880-886
• Main Authors: Fucke, Katharina, Qureshi, Naseem, Yufit, Dmitry S, Howard, Judith A. K, Steed, Jonathan W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Crystalline state (including molecular motions in solids); Crystallographic aspects of phase transformations; pressure effects; Exact sciences and technology; Organic compounds; Physics; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Structure of specific crystalline solids
• ISSN: 1528-7483; 1528-7505
• DOI: 10.1021/cg901224f

A simple N,N′-diaryl urea derivative was found to form four different anhydrous crystal forms (I−IV°), which can be crystallized in pure form by several techniques from solution as well as from the melt. These polymorphs were characterized by thermomicroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. The polymorphs were found to be purely monotropically related with large differences in their heats of fusion (11.1 kJ mol−1 for the least stable form I, 34.5 kJ mol−1 for the most stable form IV°). The crystal structures of all forms show the same conformer for forms I−III and a second conformer in form IV°. However, the hydrogen bonding motifs in all of the polymorphs are the same and thus the compound can be seen as a model for the importance of the entire crystal packing arrangement to the overall energy and stability of the crystal form, as opposed to just a few dominant interactions.