Pressure-induced phase transitions in L-alanine, revisited

High pressures studies on bis(L-alaninate)copper(II) by Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction

The crystal of bis(L-alaninate)copper(II) [Cu(C3H6NO2)2] was studied by Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction as a function of hydrostatic pressure, and its vibrational and structural behavior were investigated to analyze its stability at high pressures. The Raman spectra of bis(L-alaninate)copper(II) show changes in vibrational modes that are associated with deformations and stretching of units involving the copper atom. These results indicate that molecular fragments involving the copper atom undergo rotations and discontinuities in bond lengths. The lattice parameters of bis(L-alaninate)copper(II) obtained from Le Bail fits also exhibit changes in the same pressure ranges as the Raman spectra. The discontinuities in the angular parameter beta are compatible with the rotations of the molecular fragments. Bis(L-alaninate)copper(II) undergoes changes, but maintains monoclinic symmetry in the range of 0-20.1 GPa.

Structural insight into piezo-solvatochromism of Reichardt's dye

To date, accurate modelling of the solvation process is challenging, often over-simplifying the solvent-solute interactions. The interplay between the molecular arrangement associated with the solvation process and crystal nucleation has been investigated by analysis of the piezo-solvatochromic behaviour of Reichardt's dye, ET(1), in methanol, ethanol and acetone under high pressure. High-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction and UV-Vis spectroscopy reveal the impact of solute-solvent interactions on the optical properties of ET(1). The study underscores the intricate relationship between solvent properties, molecular conformation and crystal packing. The connection between liquid and solid phases emphasizes the capabilities of high-pressure methods for expanding the field of crystal engineering. The high-pressure environment allowed the determination of the crystal structures reported here that are built from organic molecules fourfold solvated with ethanol or methanol: ET(1)·4CH3OH and ET(1)·4C2H5OH·H2O. The observed piezo-solvatochromic effects highlight the potential of ET(1) in nonlinear optoelectronics and expand the application of solvatochromic chemical indicators to pressure sensors.

Synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy study of l-asparagine monohydrate doped with Fe(III) at high pressure

Crystals of l-asparagine monohydrate doped with Fe(III) were studied by Raman spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) in the spectral range from 100 to 3200 cm^-1 and pressures up to 9.2 GPa. The behavior of external modes suggests conformational changes between 3.0 and 4.0 GPa mainly affecting the CH₂ group. X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation were performed in the angular range from 3 to 12 degrees (2θ) up to 9.3 GPa. The lattice parameters contract up to 9.3 GPa, with the exception of parameter b, which exhibits expansion from 7.2 GPa. The lattice parameters exhibit discontinuities between 3.0 and 4.0 GPa, this effect is compatible with conformational changes. Such modifications occur without a change in symmetry, at least up to 9.3 GPa. Under decompression, down to atmospheric pressure, the original Raman spectrum is recovered, showing that the conformational change and the other changes are all reversible.

High-quality, temperature-dependent terahertz spectroscopy of single crystalline L-alanine: Experiment and density-functional theory

For the first time, the terahertz transmittance spectra of l-alanine have been measured using a single crystal. Measurements were obtained over a large temperature range (12-300 K) and revealed 18 absorptions between 20 and 250 cm^-1. These modes were sharp and symmetric, a feature of single crystals and low temperatures. The spectra were directly compared to those of a powdered pellet sample. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction were used to confirm the sample's structure and purity. With increasing temperature, all modes exhibit spectral redshift, well described by a Bose-Einstein model, indicating the phonon origin of the absorptions. The exceptions are the 91 and 128 cm^-1 modes. The former blueshifts. The latter initially blueshifts but transitions to redshifting. Both behaviors are anomalous. Density-functional theory modeling helped assign all the observed modes.

Does Pressure Break Mirror-Image Symmetry? A Perspective and New Insights

This paper is aimed at dissecting and discussing the effect of high pressure on chirogenesis, thus unveiling the role of this universal force in astrochemical and primeval Darwinian scenarios. The first part of this contribution revisits the current status and recent experiments, most dealing with crystalline racemates, for which generation of metastable conglomeratic phases would eventually afford spontaneous resolution and hence enantioenriched mixtures. We then provide an in-depth thermodynamic analysis, based on previous studies of non-electrolyte solutions and dense mixtures accounting for the existence of positive excess volume upon mixing, to simulate the mirror symmetry breaking, the evolution of entropy production and dissipation due to enantiomer conversion. Results clearly suggest that mirror symmetry breaking under high pressure may be a genuine phenomenon and that enantioenrichment from initial scalemic mixtures may also take place.

High-pressure studies on l,l-dileucine crystals by Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction combined with DFT calculations

The vibrational properties of the dipeptide l-leucyl-l-leucine hydrate were investigated through Raman and infrared spectroscopy. With the aid of first principle calculations using the density functional theory, the assignment of the vibrational modes from the material was furnished. In addition, the behavior of the crystal under high pressure was investigated using Raman spectroscopy (~8 GPa) and synchrotron X-ray diffraction (~26 GPa). The results show significant changes in both the X-ray diffractogram and the Raman spectra, suggesting that l-leucyl-l-leucine hydrate undergoes a phase transition between 2.3 and 2.9 GPa. Finally, for pressures above 16 GPa the broadening of X-ray peaks suggests a disorder in the crystal lattice induced by high-pressure effects.

Lab in a DAC - high-pressure crystal chemistry in a diamond-anvil cell

The diamond-anvil cell (DAC) was invented 60 years ago, ushering in a new era for material sciences, extending research into the dimension of pressure. Most structural determinations and chemical research have been conducted at ambient pressure, i.e. the atmospheric pressure on Earth. However, modern experimental techniques are capable of generating pressure and temperature higher than those at the centre of Earth. Such extreme conditions can be used for obtaining unprecedented chemical compounds, but, most importantly, all fundamental phenomena can be viewed and understood from a broader perspective. This knowledge, in turn, is necessary for designing new generations of materials and applications, for example in the pharmaceutical industry or for obtaining super-hard materials. The high-pressure chambers in the DAC are already used for a considerable variety of experiments, such as chemical reactions, crystallizations, measurements of electric, dielectric and magnetic properties, transformations of biological materials as well as experiments on living tissue. Undoubtedly, more applications involving elevated pressure will follow. High-pressure methods become increasingly attractive, because they can reduce the sample volume and compress the intermolecular contacts to values unattainable by other methods, many times stronger than at low temperature. The compressed materials reveal new information about intermolecular interactions and new phases of single- and multi-component compounds can be obtained. At the same time, high-pressure techniques, and particularly those of X-ray diffraction using the DAC, have been considerably improved and many innovative developments implemented. Increasingly more equipment of in-house laboratories, as well as the instrumentation of beamlines at synchrotrons and thermal neutron sources are dedicated to high-pressure research.

High pressure Raman scattering of DL‑isoleucine crystals and DFT calculations

DL‑isoleucine single crystals were grown by the slow evaporation method at ambient temperature. Their vibrational properties were studied at ambient temperature as a function of pressure by Raman scattering. At ambient conditions the mode assignment was done in terms of the Potential Energy Distribution (PED) through density functional theory calculations. Both nitrogen and neon were used as pressure transmitting media. The pressure-dependent investigation shows modifications in the Raman spectra recorded between 30 and 3200 cm^-1 that were interpreted as phase transitions undergone by the crystal between 1.3 and 1.9 GPa and between 3.6 and 5.1 GPa. Finally, stress was simulated on the unit cell of the crystal from ambient up to 5.0 GPa.

The effects of extreme conditions on molecular solids

Welcome to this themed issue of CrystEngComm entitled: ‘The effects of extreme conditions on molecular solids’.

High pressure: a complementary tool for probing solid-state processes

High pressure offers insight into the mechanisms of a wide range of solid-state phenomena occurring under atmospheric pressure conditions.

High-pressure polymorphism in l-threonine between ambient pressure and 22 GPa

The amino acid l-threonine undergoes three phase transitions between ambient pressure and 22.3 GPa which modify both hydrogen bonding and the molecular conformation.

Behavior of intermolecular interactions in α-glycine under high pressure

Pressure-response on the crystal structure of deuterated α-glycine was investigated at room temperature, using powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and powder neutron diffraction measurements under high pressure. No phase change was observed up to 8.7 GPa, although anisotropy of the lattice compressibility was found. No significant changes in the compressibility and the intramolecular distance between non-deuterated α-glycine and deuterated α-glycine were observed. Neutron diffraction measurements indicated the distance of the intermolecular D⋯O bond along with the c-axis increased with compression up to 6.4 GPa. The distance of another D⋯O bond along with the a-axis decreased with increasing pressure and became the shortest intermolecular hydrogen bond above 3 GPa. In contrast, the lengths of the bifurcated N-D⋯O and C-D⋯O hydrogen bonds, which are formed between the layers of the α-glycine molecules along the b-axis, decreased significantly with increasing pressure. The decrease of the intermolecular distances resulted in the largest compressibility of the b-axis, compared to the other two axes. The Hirshfeld analysis suggested that the reduction of the void region size, rather than shrinkage of the strong N-D⋯O hydrogen bonds, occurred with compression.

Low-temperature Raman spectra of the 2-(α-methylbenzylamino)-5-nitropyridine crystal

The polar organic 2-(α-methylbenzylamino)-5-nitropyridine crystal (MBANP) has been studied by Raman spectroscopy at low temperatures (from 300 to 10K). The effect of temperature change on the vibrational spectrum is discussed with the aid of DFT calculations. The behavior of the Raman spectra indicates that MBANP molecules present a different conformation at low temperatures associated with the rotation of the phenyl and pyridine rings. Temperature-dependent X-ray measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis were utilized as complementary techniques to investigate the structural stability of MBANP crystal.

High pressure used for producing a new solvate of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane hydroiodide

Above 3.1 GPa, the solvate with water and methanol is formed, which cannot be obtained at normal pressure.

The role of fluids in high-pressure polymorphism of drugs: different behaviour of β-chlorpropamide in different inert gas and liquid media

Compression of β-chlorpropamide gives different phases depending on the choice of non-dissolving pressure-transmitting fluid (paraffin, neon and helium).

Supramolecular interactions in the solid state

In the last few decades, supramolecular chemistry has been at the forefront of chemical research, with the aim of understanding chemistry beyond the covalent bond. Since the long-range periodicity in crystals is a product of the directionally specific short-range intermolecular interactions that are responsible for molecular assembly, analysis of crystalline solids provides a primary means to investigate intermolecular interactions and recognition phenomena. This article discusses some areas of contemporary research involving supramolecular interactions in the solid state. The topics covered are: (1) an overview and historical review of halogen bonding; (2) exploring non-ambient conditions to investigate intermolecular interactions in crystals; (3) the role of intermolecular interactions in morphotropy, being the link between isostructurality and polymorphism; (4) strategic realisation of kinetic coordination polymers by exploiting multi-interactive linker molecules. The discussion touches upon many of the prerequisites for controlled preparation and characterization of crystalline materials.

Low-temperature phase transformation studies in the stearic acid: C form

This paper reports the temperature-dependent measurements in the C form of stearic acid. Raman scattering, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements were performed at low temperatures. The polarized Raman spectra were measured for temperatures ranging from 8 to 300 K over the spectral range of 30-3000 cm(-1). The spectral changes observed in both the lattice vibrational modes and the internal vibrational modes regions of the Raman spectrum, allowed to identify a phase transition undergone by the stearic acid crystal occurring between 210 and 170 K and a change in the structure continues to be observed down to 8 K. The anharmonicity of some vibrational modes and the possible space groups presented by the crystal at low temperatures were also discussed. Low-temperature X-ray diffraction measurements were performed from 290 to 80 K and the results showed slight changes in the lattice parameters at ∼200 K. Furthermore, the evidence of the phase transformation was provided by the differential scanning calorimetry measurements, which identified an enthalpic anomaly at about 160 K.

High-pressure crystallography of periodic and aperiodic crystals

More than five decades have passed since the first single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments at high pressure were performed. These studies were applied historically to geochemical processes occurring in the Earth and other planets, but high-pressure crystallography has spread across different fields of science including chemistry, physics, biology, materials science and pharmacy. With each passing year, high-pressure studies have become more precise and comprehensive because of the development of instrumentation and software, and the systems investigated have also become more complicated. Starting with crystals of simple minerals and inorganic compounds, the interests of researchers have shifted to complicated metal-organic frameworks, aperiodic crystals and quasicrystals, molecular crystals, and even proteins and viruses. Inspired by contributions to the microsymposium 'High-Pressure Crystallography of Periodic and Aperiodic Crystals' presented at the 23rd IUCr Congress and General Assembly, the authors have tried to summarize certain recent results of single-crystal studies of molecular and aperiodic structures under high pressure. While the selected contributions do not cover the whole spectrum of high-pressure research, they demonstrate the broad diversity of novel and fascinating results and may awaken the reader's interest in this topic.

Sarcosine and betaine crystals upon cooling: structural motifs unstable at high pressure become stable at low temperatures

The crystal structures of N-methyl derivatives of the simplest amino acid glycine, namely sarcosine (C3H7NO2) and betaine (C5H11NO2), were studied upon cooling by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and single-crystal polarized Raman spectroscopy. The effects of decreasing temperature and increasing hydrostatic pressure on the crystal structures were compared. In particular, we have studied the behavior upon cooling of those structural motifs in the crystals, which are involved in structural rearrangement during pressure-induced phase transitions. In contrast to their high sensitivity to hydrostatic compression, the crystals of both sarcosine and betaine are stable to cooling down to 5 K. Similarly to most α-amino acids, the crystal structures of the two compounds are most rigid upon cooling in the direction of the main structural motif, namely head-to-tail chains (linked via the strongest N-H···O hydrogen bonds and dipole-dipole interactions in the case of sarcosine, or exclusively by dipole-dipole interactions in the case of betaine). The anisotropy of linear strain in betaine does not differ much upon cooling and on hydrostatic compression, whereas this is not the case for sarcosine. Although the interactions between certain structural motifs in sarcosine and betaine weaken as a result of phase transitions induced by pressure, the same interactions strengthen when volume reduction results from cooling.

The ecstasy and the agony; compression studies of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a Class A substance that is usually found in a tableted form. It is only observed in one orthorhombic polymorph under ambient conditions. It shows slight positional disorder around the methlyenedioxy ring which persists during compression up to 6.66 GPa. The crystal quality deteriorates above 6.66 GPa where the hydrostatic limit of the pressure-transmitting medium is exceeded. The structure undergoes anisotropic compression with thea-axis compressing the greatest (12%cf.4 and 10% for theb- andc-axes, respectively). This is due to the pattern of the hydrogen bonding which acts like a spring and allows the compression along this direction.

Isothermal and isochoric crystallization of highly hygroscopic pyridine N-oxide of aqueous solution

Highly hygroscopic pyridine N-oxide, C5H5NO, dissolves in water absorbed from atmospheric air, but it crystallizes in the neat form of the aqueous solution under high pressure. The crystals grown at high-pressure isochoric conditions are of the same phase as that obtained from anhydrous crystallization at ambient pressure. This feature can be employed for retrieving compounds highly soluble in water from their aqueous solutions. The crystal structure is strongly stabilized by CH...O contacts. The crystal compression and thermal expansion as well as three shortest H...O distances comply with the inverse-relationship rule of pressure and temperature changes.

Effect of pressure on methylated glycine derivatives: relative roles of hydrogen bonds and steric repulsion of methyl groups

Infinite head-to-tail chains of zwitterions present in the crystals of all amino acids are known to be preserved even after structural phase transitions. In order to understand the role of the N-H...O hydrogen bonds linking zwitterions in these chains in structural rearrangements, the crystal structures of the N-methyl derivatives of glycine (N-methylglycine, or sarcosine, with two donors for hydrogen bonding; two polymorphs of N,N-dimethylglycine, DMG-I and DMG-II, with one donor for hydrogen bond; and N,N,N-trimethylglycine, or betaine, with no hydrogen bonds) were studied at different pressures. Methylation has not only excluded the formation of selected hydrogen bonds, but also introduced bulky mobile fragments into the structure. The effects of pressure on the systems of the series were compared with respect to distorting and switching over hydrogen bonds and inducing reorientation of the methylated fragments. Phase transitions with fragmentation of the single crystals into fine powder were observed for partially methylated N-methyl- and N,N-dimethylglycine, whereas the structural changes in betaine were continuous with some peculiar features in the 1.4-2.9 GPa pressure range and accompanied by splitting of the crystals into several large fragments. Structural rearrangements in sarcosine and betaine were strongly dependent on the rate of pressure variation: the higher the rate of increasing pressure, the lower the pressure at which the phase transition occurred.

Mechanochemistry of inorganic and organic systems: what is similar, what is different?

Mechanochemistry of inorganic solids is a well-established field. In the last decade mechanical treatment has become increasingly popular as a method for achieving selective and "greener" syntheses also in organic systems. New groups and researchers enter the field of mechanochemistry, often re-discovering many of the previously known facts and effects, while at the same time neglecting other important concepts. The author of this contribution has long been involved in mechanochemical research in both inorganic and organic systems. The aim of this contribution is to provide an overview of the basic concepts of mechanochemistry in relation to inorganic and organic systems.

A high-pressure single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition in DL-alaninium semi-oxalate monohydrate with switching-over hydrogen bonds

A single-crystal to single-crystal transition in DL-alaninium semi-oxalate monohydrate at a pressure between 1.5 and 2.4 GPa was studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. This is the first example of a single-crystal diffraction study of a high-pressure phase transition in a crystalline amino acid salt hydrate. Selected hydrogen bonds switch over and become bifurcated, whereas the others are compressed continuously. The transition is accompanied by pronounced discontinuities in the cell parameters and volume versus pressure, although no radical changes in the molecular packing are induced. Although, in contrast to DL-alanine, in the crystal structure of the salt there are short O-H···O hydrogen bonds, the structure of the salt is more compressible. At the same time, the structure of DL-alanine does not undergo pressure-induced phase transitions, whereas the structure of DL-alaninium semi-oxalate monohydrate does, and at a relatively low pressure. The anisotropy of lattice strain for the low-pressure phase differs from that on cooling at ambient pressure; interestingly, the anisotropy of the pressure-induced compression of the high-pressure phase is quite similar to the lattice strain of the low-pressure phase on cooling.

Structural evolution of amino acid crystals under stress from a non-empirical density functional

Use of the non-local correlation functional vdW-DF (from 'van der Waals density functional'; Dion M et al 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 246401) has become a popular approach for including van der Waals interactions within density functional theory. In this work, we extend the vdW-DF theory and derive the corresponding stress tensor in a fashion similar to the LDA and GGA approach, which allows for a straightforward implementation in any electronic structure code. We then apply our methodology to investigate the structural evolution of amino acid crystals of glycine and l-alanine under pressure up to 10 GPa-with and without van der Waals interactions-and find that for an accurate description of intermolecular interactions and phase transitions in these systems, the inclusion of van der Waals interactions is crucial. For glycine, calculations including the vdW-DF (vdW-DF-c09x) functional are found to systematically overestimate (underestimate) the crystal lattice parameters, yet the stability ordering of the different polymorphs is determined accurately, at variance with the GGA case. In the case of l-alanine, our vdW-DF results agree with recent experiments that question the phase transition reported for this crystal at 2.3 GPa, as the a and c cell parameters happen to become equal but no phase transition is observed.

Pressure-induced phase transitions in L-alanine, revisited. Corrigendum

Tables 2 and 3 in the paper by Tumanov et al. [(2010), Acta Cryst. B66, 458–471] are corrected.

X-ray diffraction and Raman study of DL-alanine at high pressure: revision of phase transitions

The effect of pressure on DL-alanine has been studied by X-ray powder diffraction (up to 8.3 GPa), single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy (up to ∼ 6 GPa). No structural phase transitions have been observed. At ∼ 1.5–2 GPa, cell parameters b and c become accidentally equal to each other, but the space-group symmetry does not change. There is no phase transition between 1.7 and 2.3 GPa, contrary to what has been reported earlier [Belo et al. (2010). Vibr. Spectrosc. 54, 107–111]. The presence of the second phase transition, which was claimed to appear within the pressure range from 6.0 to 7.3 GPa (Belo et al., 2010), is also argued. The changes in the Raman spectra have been shown to be continuous in all the pressure ranges studied.

Effect of pressure on crystalline L- and DL-serine: revisited by a combined single-crystal X-ray diffraction at a laboratory source and polarized Raman spectroscopy study

Information on the effect of pressure on hydrogen bonds, which could be derived from single-crystal X-ray diffraction at a laboratory source and polarized Raman spectroscopy, has been compared. L-Serine and DL-serine were selected for this case study. The role of hydrogen bonds in pressure-induced phase transitions in the first system and in the structural stability of the second one are discussed. Non-monotonic distortion of selected hydrogen bonds in the pressure range below ∼ 1–2 GPa, a change in the compression mechanism at ∼ 2–3 GPa, and the evidence of formation of bifurcated N—H...O hydrogen bonds in DL-serine at ∼ 3–4 GPa are considered.