Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
Published on: July 30, 2017
1,1'-Dimethyl-4,4'-[(2,4-diphenyl-cyclo-butane-1,3-di-yl)dipyridinium-(E)-1-methyl-4-styrylpyridinium-benzene-sulfona
This study details the crystal structure of a compound containing monocations and dications. Cations exhibit anti-parallel stacking, while anions form chains via hydrogen bonds, revealing key intermolecular interactions.
Area of Science:
- Crystallography
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Understanding the solid-state behavior of organic salts is crucial for materials science.
- Investigating the packing arrangements and intermolecular forces provides insights into crystal engineering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the crystal structure and intermolecular interactions of a novel organic salt.
- To characterize the spatial arrangement and bonding of monocations, dications, and anions in the crystalline state.
Main Methods:
- Single-crystal X-ray diffraction was employed to determine the three-dimensional structure.
- Analysis of bond lengths, bond angles, and intermolecular distances to identify hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions.
Main Results:
- The monocation adopts an E configuration and is nearly planar, with a small dihedral angle between the pyridinium and phenyl rings (5.20°).
- The dication is located about an inversion center, occupying a similar crystallographic site as the monocation.
- Anion oxygen atoms exhibit disorder, and cations are arranged in an anti-parallel fashion along the a-axis, stabilized by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, C-H⋯π, and π-π interactions.
Conclusions:
- The crystal structure reveals specific packing motifs driven by hydrogen bonding and pi-stacking interactions.
- The observed arrangement of cations and anions provides a foundation for understanding the material's properties and designing related structures.
Related Concept Videos
NMR Spectroscopy of Benzene Derivatives
Nomenclature of Aromatic Compounds with Multiple Substituents
For disubstituted benzene derivatives, with two groups attached to the benzene ring, three constitutional isomers are possible. For example, consider dimethyl benzene, often called xylene, where the second methyl group can be substituted at the second, third, or fourth carbon. The relative position of the substituents is represented by prefixes ortho, meta, or...
π Molecular Orbitals of 1,3-Butadiene
The simplest conjugated diene is 1,3-butadiene: a four-carbon system where each carbon is sp2-hybridized and has an unhybridized p orbital that contains an unpaired electron. According to molecular orbital theory, atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals such that the number...
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview
Removing one hydrogen from the intervening CH2 group with both...
Structure of Benzene: Molecular Orbital Model
Frost Circles for Different Conjugated Systems

