Structural systematics and conformational analyses of an isomer grid of nine tolyl-N-pyridinylcarbamates

Abstract

A 3 × 3 isomer grid of nine Methylphenyl-N-pyridinylcarbamates (CxxM) is reported with seven CxxM crystal structures at 294 K (xx = pp, pm, po, mp, op, om, oo; x = para-, meta-, ortho), where Cx = pyridinyl ring (as C5NH4NH-) and xM is representative of –C(=O)OC6H4CH3. All seven carbamate crystal structures aggregate via N–H…N intermolecular interactions with the three CpxM carbamates having C(6) zigzag chains, CmpM with C(5) zigzag chains and three ortho-pyridine CoxM structures as hydrogen-bonded dimers with graph set \(R_{2}^{2}\) (8) and augmented by flanking C–H…O contacts. The CpoM crystal structure crystallises with 0.25 CHCl3 per carbamate molecule and solvent channels aligning along the a-axis direction. Conformational analyses of the nine minimised CxxM structures in gas phase are detailed for comparisons with the solid-state structures and demonstrate similarities between both structural methods. The modelling results also demonstrate the problems associated with pendant ortho-groups sterically clashing in the CmoM and CooM structures and methods to find a reasonable estimate of the CxxM conformational landscape.