Carbonyl-carbonyl interactions and amide π-stacking as the directing motifs of the supramolecular assembly of ethyl N-(2-acetylphenyl)oxalamate in a synperiplanar conformation.

The title compound, C12H13NO4, is one of the few examples that exhibits a syn conformation between the amide and ester carbonyl groups of the oxalyl group. This conformation allows the engagement of the amide H atom in an intramolecular three-centred hydrogen-bonding S(6)S(5) motif. The compound is self-assembled by C=O...C=O and amide-π interactions into stacked columns along the b-axis direction. The concurrence of both interactions seems to be responsible for stabilizing the observed syn conformation between the carbonyl groups. The second dimension, along the a-axis direction, is developed by soft C-H...O hydrogen bonding. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory were performed to support the experimental findings.