2,2'-Bi[benzo[b]thiophene]: an unexpected isolation of the benzo[b]thiophene dimer.

The crystal structure of 2,2'-bi[benzo[b]thiophene], C16H10S2, at 173 K has triclinic (P1) symmetry. It is of interest with respect to its apparent mode of synthesis, as it is a by-product of a Stille cross-coupling reaction in which it was not explictly detected by spectroscopic methods. It was upon crystal structure analysis of a specimen isolated from the mother liquor that this reaction was determined to give rise to the title compound, which is a dimer arising from the starting material. Two independent half-molecules of this dimer comprise the asymmetric unit, and the full molecules are generated via inversion centers. Both molecules in the unit cell exhibit ring disorder, and they are essentially identical because of their rigidity and planarity.

A novel oxazolidinone antibiotic: RWJ-416457.

The crystal structure of the antibiotic drug candidate RWJ-416457 (systematic name: N-{(5S)-3-[4-(5,6-dihydro-2H,4H-2-methylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrazol-5-yl)-3-fluorophenyl]-2-oxo-1,3-oxazolidin-5-yl}acetamide), C(18)H(20)FN(5)O(3), which belongs to the first new class of antibiotics discovered in the past 30 years, has been determined at 150 K. Each molecule of this drug donates one hydrogen bond to a neighboring molecule and accepts one hydrogen bond to give (O=C-R-N-H...O=C-R-N-H...)(n) linkages along the b-axis direction. The compound contains a pyrrolopyrazole ring, which, owing to its uncommon structure, has been shown to have particular effectiveness against multi-drug-resistant bacteria.

Enhanced efficiency of direct-space structure solution from powder X-ray diffraction data in the case of conformationally flexible molecules.

A strategy is reported for assessing the feasibility of molecular conformations within direct-space structure-solution calculations of organic molecular crystal structures from powder X-ray diffraction data, focusing in particular on the genetic algorithm technique for structure solution in which fitness is defined as a function of the whole-profile figure-of-merit Rwp. The strategy employs a readily computed distance-based function to assess the feasibility of the molecular conformation in each trial structure generated in the genetic algorithm calculation, and structures considered to have low-feasibility conformations are penalized within the evolutionary process. The strategy is shown to lead to significant improvements in the success rate of structure-solution calculations in the case of flexible molecules with a significant number of conformational degrees of freedom.

Structure-reactivity correlations for solid-state enantioselective photochemical reactions established directly from powder X-ray diffraction.

A prerequisite for the development of structure-reactivity correlations for photoreactive crystalline materials is to have detailed knowledge of the structural properties of the reactant crystalline phase. In some cases, however, the materials of interest can be prepared only as microcrystalline powders and are not amenable to structural characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This paper demonstrates the utility of modern powder X-ray diffraction techniques for obtaining structural understanding in such cases, leading to the development of structure-reactivity correlations. In particular, a series of three photoreactive organic salts are considered, which undergo the same photochemical asymmetric reaction but with high enantiomeric excess in two cases and low enantiomeric excess in the other case. The structural properties of the three salts determined from powder X-ray diffraction data are shown to provide a direct rationalization of these observations.

Understanding the structural properties of a dendrimeric material directly from powder X-ray diffraction data.

Complete structure determination of an early-generation dendrimeric material has been carried out directly from powder X-ray diffraction data, using the direct-space genetic algorithm technique for structure solution followed by Rietveld refinement. This work represents the first application of modern direct-space techniques for structure determination from powder X-ray diffraction data in the case of a dendrimeric material and paves the way for the future application of this approach to enable complete structure determination of other dendrimeric materials that cannot be prepared as single crystal samples suitable for single crystal X-ray diffraction studies.

On the spontaneous induction of chirality in the preparation of Werner's complex cis-[CoBr(NH3)(en)2]Br2.

The product obtained directly from the standard reaction to produce Werner's complex cis-[CoBr(NH3)(en)2]Br2 is shown, via structure determination from powder X-ray diffraction data, to be a racemic crystalline phase; implications of this observation in relation to previous reports that this reaction leads to significant enantiomeric excesses are discussed.

How to determine structures when single crystals cannot be grown: opportunities for structure determination of molecular materials using powder diffraction data.

Many crystalline solids cannot be prepared as single crystals of sufficient size and/or quality for structure determination to be carried out using single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. In such cases, when only polycrystalline powders of a material are available, it is necessary instead to tackle structure determination using powder X-ray diffraction. This article highlights recent developments in the opportunities for determining crystal structures directly from powder diffraction data, focusing on the case of molecular solids and giving particular attention to the most challenging stage of the structure determination process, namely the structure solution stage. In particular, the direct-space strategy for structure solution is highlighted, as this approach has opened up new opportunities for the structure determination of molecular solids. The article gives an overview of the current state-of-the-art in structure determination of molecular solids from powder diffraction data. Relevant fundamental aspects of the techniques in this field are described, and examples are given to highlight the application of these techniques to determine crystal structures of molecular materials.

Rationalizing the structural properties of bupivacaine base--a local anesthetic--directly from powder X-ray diffraction data.

Bupivacaine belongs to a family of 1-alkyl-2',6'-pipecoloxylidides, which has shown promise as reversible action potential blockers that can introduce prolonged local anesthetic effects. The crystal structure of the free-base form of bupivacaine has been determined directly from powder X-ray diffraction data using the Genetic Algorithm technique for structure solution, followed by Rietveld refinement. This work further emphasizes the scope and utility of ab initio structure solution directly from powder X-ray diffraction data for tackling structural problems within the biomedical field, leading to opportunities for the investigation of structure-property relationships.

Direct structure determination of a multicomponent molecular crystal prepared by a solid-state grinding procedure.

A three-component molecular cocrystal material has been prepared by a solvent-free route involving mechanical grinding of the pure phases of the individual components. This material is not accessible from conventional solution-state crystallization procedures. Due to the fact that the grinding procedure intrinsically leads to a microcrystalline powder sample, the use of powder X-ray diffraction data is essential for structure determination. This work emphasizes the scope and utility of ab initio structure solution directly from powder X-ray diffraction data for carrying out structural characterization of new materials prepared via the solid-state grinding route, leading to the opportunity to establish structure-property relationships for such materials.

Polymorphism of a novel sodium ion channel blocker.

2-[[4-(4-Fluorophenoxy)phenyl]-methylene]-hydrazinecarboxamide, a member of the semicarbazone family which has shown potential therapeutic use as anticonvulsants, has been found to exist in two polymorphic forms denoted A and B. In addition to reporting aspects of the physical characterization of both forms, the crystal structure of polymorph A has been determined directly from powder X-ray diffraction data using the Genetic Algorithm technique for structure solution, followed by Rietveld refinement. This structure is compared with that of polymorph B, which was determined previously from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Knowledge of the crystal structures of the two polymorphs provides the opportunity for establishing structure-property relationships. This work further emphasizes the scope and utility of ab initio structure solution from powder X-ray diffraction data in the pharmaceuticals field.