X-ray diffraction study of p-(alkoxybenzylidene)-p′-toluidines: Crystal and molecular structure of C10H21O-C6H4-CH=N-C6H4-CH3

The crystal and molecular structure of p-(decaoxybenzylidene)-p′-toluidine C10H21O-C6H4-CH=N-C6H4-CH3 is studied. The molecule is nearly planar. In the crystal packing, loose regions formed by aliphatic fragments of molecules alternate with pseudostacks of aromatic fragments of molecules that are related by the centers of symmetry. The stacks are built of dimers, in which molecules are linked by π-stacking interactions between benzene rings. There are no weak directional interactions between dimers in a stack. The presence of a single structure-forming element in the crystal, namely, the π-stacking interactions in the dimers, along with the similarity of the crystal packing to that of the C8H17O-homologue, which forms a nematic mesophase on melting, indicate that the crystals under study should exhibit nematic properties.