Mechanistic insights into a gas–solid reaction in molecular crystals: the role of hydrogen bonding

Minguez Espallargas, G., van de Streek, J., Fernandes, P., Florence, A. J., Brunelli, M., Shankland, K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6566-0155 and Brammer, L. (2010) Mechanistic insights into a gas–solid reaction in molecular crystals: the role of hydrogen bonding. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 49 (47). pp. 8892-8896. ISSN 1433-7851 doi: 10.1002/anie.201003265

Abstract/Summary

Reactions in (molecular) organic crystalline solids have been shown to be important for exerting control that is unattainable over chemical transformations in solution. Such control has also been achieved for reactions within metal– organic cages. In these examples, the reactants are already in place within the crystals following the original crystal growth. The post-synthetic modification of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs and indeed reactions and catalysis within MOFs have been recently demonstrated; in these cases the reactants enter the crystals through permanent channels. Another growing area of interest within molecular solid-state chemistry is synthesis by mechanical co-grinding of solid reactants—often referred to as mechanochemistry. Finally, in a small number of reported examples, molecules also have been shown to enter nonporous crystals directly from the gas or vapor phase, but in only a few of these examples does a change in covalent bonding result, which indicates that a reaction occurs within the nonporous crystals. It is this latter type of highly uncommon reaction that is the focus of the present study.