Asymmetric hydrogen bonds in a centrosymmetric environment. III. Quantum mechanical calculations of the potential-energy surfaces for the very short hydrogen bonds in potassium hydrogen dichloromaleate.

In the crystal structure of potassium hydrogen dichloromaleate there are two short hydrogen bonds of 2.44 A. The 'heavy-atom' structure is centrosymmetric (space group P1) with centers of symmetry in the middle of the O-O bonds, suggesting centered hydrogen bonds. However, earlier unconventional types of refinements of the extensive neutron data taken at 30, 90, 135, 170 and 295 K demonstrated that the H atoms are actually non-centered in the hydrogen bonds, although the environment is centrosymmetric. Traditionally it has been assumed that the hydrogen distribution adopts the same symmetry as the environment. Reviewing these unusual results it was considered of great interest to verify that the non-centered locations of the H atoms are reasonable from an energy point of view. Quantum mechanical calculations have now been carried out for the potential-energy surfaces (PES) for both the centered and non-centered locations of the H atoms. In all cases the non-centered positions are closer to the energy minima in the PES than the centered positions, and this result confirms that the structure is best described with non-centered H atoms. There is virtually perfect agreement between the quantum-mechanically derived reaction coordinates (QMRC) and the bond-order reaction coordinates (BORC) derived using Pauling's bond-order concept together with the principle of conservation of bond order. [Part I: Olovsson et al. (2001). Acta Cryst. B57, 311-316; Part II: Olovsson et al. (2002). Acta Cryst. B58, 627-631.].

Asymmetric hydrogen bonds in centrosymmetric environment. II. Neutron study of very short hydrogen bonds in potassium hydrogen dichloromaleate at 90 K and 170 K.

In our earlier neutron diffraction study of the title compound at 30 K and 295 K an unconventional strategy in the refinement of hydrogen was applied and the same procedure has now been followed in the present investigation at 170 K and 90 K. There are two short O...H...O hydrogen bonds [2.437 (2) A and 2.442 (2) A at 30 K] and the 'heavy-atom' structure is centrosymmetric (P1) with centres of symmetry in the middle of the O...O bonds. However, statistical significance tests clearly show that an asymmetric location of both H atoms gives the most satisfactory description of the structure at all temperatures. The shift of hydrogen from the centre of symmetry is 0.15, 0.14, 0.15 and 0.15 A for H2 at 30, 90, 170 and 295 K, respectively, and 0.15, 0.15, 0.15 and 0.12 A for H4 (sigma = 0.01 A). Furthermore, the behaviour of H2 is very interesting: at 295 K and 170 K it is located on one side of the symmetry centre but at 90 K and 30 K it is located on the other side. A detailed determination of the unit-cell parameters by X-ray diffraction in the whole temperature range from 30 K to 295 K has revealed that the data points of the cell parameters as a function of temperature fall on two different straight lines with a sudden change in the slope around 135 K. It appears likely that the change in the location of H2 as the temperature is lowered is related to this behaviour. At 170 K, R(F) = 0.029 for 1236 reflections; at 90 K, R(F) = 0.030 for 1457 reflections.

Asymmetric hydrogen bonds in centrosymmetric environment: neutron study of very short hydrogen bonds in potassium hydrogen dichloromaleate.

The structure of the title compound has been studied by neutron diffraction at 30 and 295 K, with the emphasis on the location of the protons. There are two crystallographically independent H atoms in two very short hydrogen bonds, 2.437 (2) and 2.442 (2) A at 30 K. The structure could be refined successfully in the centrosymmetric space group P1;, with the H atoms located at the centres of symmetry. However, the form of the thermal ellipsoids of hydrogen indicated either asymmetric hydrogen bonds or overlap of two closely spaced, partially occupied positions around the centres of symmetry. Several different types of refinements have then been applied, including unconventional models; with all atoms except hydrogen constrained in P1;, but with hydrogen allowed to refine without any constraints in P1, anisotropic refinement of all atoms resulted in clearly off-centred hydrogen positions. Significance tests clearly showed that the results from this constrained refinement give the most satisfactory description of the structure. This structure may be described as 'pseudo-centrosymmetric with non-centred protons'. The results demonstrate that it is very important to also include refinement models with non-centrosymmetric hydrogen in a centrosymmetric environment when studying very short hydrogen bonds. The shifts of the two H atoms from the centres of symmetry are 0.15 (1) and 0.12 (1) A, respectively, at 30 K, and 0.15 (1) A for both H atoms at room temperature. At 30 K: R(F) = 0.036 for 1485 reflections; at 295 K: R(F) = 0.035 for 1349 reflections.

X-ray study of deformation density and spontaneous polarization in ferroelectric NaNO2

The deformation electron density of ferroelectric sodium nitrite has been determined from X-ray diffraction data at 30 K, using Hirshfeld deformation functions. Owing to the strong correlation between odd terms of the deformation coefficients, constraints were imposed in the refinement. The net charges for Na, N and O atoms were estimated to be 0.27, 0.20 and -0.24 e, respectively. The calculated spontaneous polarization using these net charges and atomic dipole terms, 7.8 microC cm(-2), is much closer to the recently measured value, 12 microC cm-2, as compared with the value calculated from the formal point charges (74 microC cm(-2)).

Charge density in NiCl2.4H2O at 295 and 30 K.

The charge distribution has been determined by multipole refinements against single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. In the refinements a comparison was made between the densities based on H-atom parameters from X-ray and neutron data, respectively. X-ray study: lambda(Mo Kalpha) = 0.71073 Å, F(000) = 408; at 30 K: R(F) = 0.015 for 6686 reflections; at 295 K: R(F) = 0.022 for 4630 reflections. The nickel ion is octahedrally surrounded by four water molecules and two chloride ions, forming a locally neutral Ni(H(2)O)(4)Cl(2) complex. Two of the water molecules are coordinated to nickel approximately in one of the tetrahedral ('lone-pair') directions; the other two are trigonally coordinated. At 30 K one H atom in one of the trigonally coordinated water molecules is disordered, with equal occupation of two different positions. Owing to the polarizing influence of the nickel ion there are two peaks in the lone-pair plane of the water molecules when these are tetrahedrally coordinated; for those trigonally coordinated there is just one peak. The individual ('partial') charge densities, calculated from the deformation functions of only nickel or the separate water molecules, have also been calculated to study the effects of superposition of the individual densities. In the individual density of nickel an excess is observed in the diagonal directions and a deficiency in the ligand directions. However, owing to the influence of the whole crystalline environment, the maxima around nickel are not found in the planes defined by nickel and the six ligands.