Search

Abstract: Intermolecular interactions and the role of fluorine substitution have been investigated for a halogenated-ethane anesthetic. 2-Bromo-2-chloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane, BrClCHCF3 (Halothane), has been in situ pressure frozen in a diamond anvil cell and its structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 1.85(5)GPa/296K. Crystal is triclinic, space group . In this racemic structure the enantiomorphic molecules are substitutionally disordered at the same general positions in that way that bromine and chlorine atoms occupy the same site at the 50:50 ratio. Despite the fact that only the Br and Cl atoms are disordered, the crystal packing is dominated by halogen⋯halogen and halogen⋯hydrogen interactions. This X-ray diffraction study provides structural explanation of considerably increased vapor pressure of Halothane compared to its hydrogenated analogue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Trimethyl(trifluoromethyl)silane, (CH3)3SiCF3, has been in situ pressure frozen in a diamond anvil cell and its structure determined at 0.90(5) GPa/296 K by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal is monoclinic, space group P21/m, with the molecules lying on crystallographic mirror planes. The CH3 and CF3 groups assume the fully staggered conformation. The 14-fold coordination scheme of the molecules is similar to those in (CH3)3SiCl polymorphs, but different from that in crystalline tetramethylsilane, (CH3)4Si (TMS). The longest Si—C bond length of 1.943(12) Å observed in the crystal structure has been documented. The shortest intermolecular contacts in the structure of pressure-frozen CF3Si(CH3)3 are observed between the hydrogen atoms, and those involving fluorine atoms are longer than sums of van der Waals’ radii. These structural features explain the facile cleavage of Si—CF3 bond for CF3 group transfer in organic reactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]