Mechanochemical synthesis and X-ray structural characterization of three 3-nitrophenol cocrystals with three aminal cage azaadamantanes: the role of the stereoelectronic effect on intermolecular hydrogen-bonding patterns.

The structures of the cocrystalline adducts of 3-nitrophenol (3-NP) with 1,3,5,7-tetraazatricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane [HMTA, (1)] as the 2:1:1 hydrate, 2C6H5NO3·C6H12N4·H2O, (1a), with 1,3,6,8-tetraazatricyclo[4.3.1.13,8]undecane [TATU (2)] as the 2:1 cocrystal, 2C6H5NO3·C7H14N4, (2a), and with 1,3,6,8-tetraazatricyclo[4.4.1.13,8]dodecane [TATD, (3)] as the 2:1 cocrystal, 2C6H5NO3·C8H16N4, (3a), are reported. In the binary crystals (2a) and (3a), the 3-nitrophenol molecules are linked via O-H...N hydrogen bonds into aminal cage azaadamantanes. In (1a), the structure is stabilized by O-H...N and O-H...O hydrogen bonds, and generates ternary cocrystals. There are C-H...O hydrogen bonds present in all three cocrystals, and in (1a), there are also C-H...O and C-H...π interactions present. The presence of an ethylene bridge in the structures of (2) and (3) defines the formation of a hydrogen-bonded motif in the supramolecular architectures of (2a) and (3a). The differences in the C-N bond lengths of the aminal cage structures, as a result of hyperconjugative interactions and electron delocalization, were analysed. These three cocrystals were obtained by the solvent-free assisted grinding method. Crystals suitable for single-crystal X-ray diffraction were grown by slow evaporation from a mixture of hexanes.