Temperature-dependent solid-state phase transition with twinning in the crystal structure of 4-meth-oxy-anilinium chloride

Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun. 2024 Jan 1;80(Pt 1):58-61. doi: 10.1107/S2056989023010812.

Abstract

At room temperature, the title salt, C7H10NO+·Cl-, is ortho-rhom-bic, space group Pbca with Z' = 1, as previously reported [Zhao (2009 ▸). Acta Cryst. E65, o2378]. Between 250 and 200 K, there is a solid-state phase transition to a twinned monoclinic P21/c structure with Z' = 2. We report the high temperature structure at 250 K and the low-temperature structure at 100 K. In the low-temperature structure, the -NH3 hydrogen atoms are ordered and this group has a different orientation in each independent mol-ecule, in keeping with optimizing N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonding, some of which are bifurcated: these hydrogen bonds have N⋯Cl distances in the range 3.1201 (8)-3.4047 (8) Å. In the single cation of the high-temperature structure, the NH hydrogen atoms are disordered into the average of the two low-temperature positions and the N⋯Cl hydrogen bond distances are in the range 3.1570 (15)-3.3323 (18) Å. At both temperatures, the meth-oxy group is nearly coplanar with the rest of the mol-ecule, with the C-C-O-C torsion angles being -7.0 (2)° at 250 K and -6.94 (12) and -9.35 (12)° at 100 K. In the extended ortho-rhom-bic structure, (001) hydrogen-bonded sheets occur; in the monoclinic structure, the sheets propagate in the (010) plane.

Keywords: 4-alk­oxy­acetanilides; 4-alk­oxy­anilinium salts; crystal structure; mechanisms of toxicity; nonsteroidal analgesics.