Pressure effect on the crystals of Benzoquinone – Manifestations of weak intermolecular interactions

 

Еlena V. Boldyreva1, Т.P. Shakhtshneider, H. Ahsbahs2

 

1Research and Education Center “Molecular Design and Ecologically Safe Technologies (REC-008)”, Novosibirsk State University, Institute of Solid State Chemistry SD RAS, 2Institute of Catalysis SD RAS, Philipps-Universitaet Marburg/Lahn (Germany),

ul. Kutateladze, 18, Novosibirsk, 128, 630128 Russia,

e-mail: boldyrev@nsu.ru

 

High-pressure studies of crystal structures provide valuable information on the intermolecular interactions in crystals. It is helpful to study not only pressure-induced phase transitions, but also the anisotropy of structural strain within the range of stability of the same polymorph [1]. p-Benzoquinone provides an example of a crystal with weak intermolecular interactions – CH…O hydrogen bonds, C=O…C=O and p-p interactions. These weak interactions are attracting presently much attention, in particular, because of their importance for bioorganic and medicinal chemistry.

The effect of increasing pressure up to 2.8 GPa on the cell parameters and volume of benzoquinone (s.g. P21/a) was studied by X-ray powder diffraction. No polymorphic transformations were detected, what makes the system different from its tetra-fluor-substituted derivative, fluoranil [2]. The anisotropy of structural strain was correlated with directions of CH…O hydrogen bonds. The experimental results are discussed in relation to the theoretical calculations of p-benzoquinone and its tetrafluorosubstitute (p-fluoranil) done in [3,4].

 

REFERENCES

 

1. E.V. Boldyreva // J. Mol. Struct.- 2003.- v. 647, issues 1-3.- pp 159 – 179.

2. A. Ikuta, Y. Suzuki, Y. Nibu, H. Shimada, R. Shimada // Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn.- 1999.- V. 72.- p.963.

3. A. Masunov, PhD Thesis City Univ. of New York, 2000.

4. F. Pichierri, A. Sekine, T. Ebisuzaki.- Chem. Phys.- 2001.- v. 264.- pp. 9-19.

 

The study was supported by grants from DLR (RUS-131-97), from RFBR (02-03-33358), from BRHE (REC-008), and from the Ministry of Education RF “Integration” (Ч0069).