Diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (DPO) crystallization experiments from solutions clearly reveal the polymorphism of the substance. Besides the formerly known centrosymmetric monoclinic structure with space group P21/c (DPO I) a new monoclinic structure with the non-centrosymmetric space group Cc is found (DPO II): a=2.4134(4) nm, b=2.4099(3) nm, c=1.2879(2) nm,?=110.048(3)°, and V=7.0363(17) nm3. The asymmetric unit contains six independent molecules in a complex packing motif. A re-determination of the crystal structure of DPO I at room temperature gives lattice parameters a=0.51885(6) nm, b=1.8078(2) nm, c=1.21435(14) nm, ?=93.193(3)°, and V=1.1373(2) nm3. X-ray measurements at 363 K show a significant increase of the unit cell volume by 1.6%. Differences between both structures concerning morphology and characteristic Raman bands are outlined in detail. DSC investigations show an irreversible transition from DPO I to DPO II at 97 °C. DPO II does not show any transition in the temperature range up to the melting point at 141 °C. The non-centrosymmetric DPO II structure shows triboluminescence.
High-pressure studies on molecular crystals - relations between structure and high-pressure behavior
(2008)
This paper summarizes attempts to understand structureproperty relationships for a large class of aromatic diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole molecules. Starting from the investigation of the crystal structure several common packing motifs as well as characteristic differences are derived. Many different molecules show a rather planar conformation in the solid state. A stronger intermolecular twist is only observed for compounds with substituents occupying the ortho-positions of the phenyl rings. Most crystal structures are characterized by the formation of stacks leading to intense ππ acceptordonor interactions between oxadiazole and phenyl rings. High-pressure investigations result in a soft compression behavior typical for organic molecular crystals. The bulk behavior may be described by the Murnaghan equation of state with similar coefficients (bulk modulus and its pressure derivative) for nearly all investigated compounds but also for related substances. The compression shows a strong anisotropy resulting from the specific features and packing motifs of the crystal structure. This is clearly indicated by a corresponding strain analysis. Additionally to the crystal structure the Raman spectrum was also investigated under increasing pressure. The different pressure behavior of external and internal modes reflects the difference between intra- and intermolecular interactions.