Multi-component crystals containing urea: mechanochemical synthesis and characterization by 35Cl solid-state NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations

Abstract

Mechanochemical synthesis provides new pathways for the rational design of multi-component crystals (MCCs) involving anionic or cationic components that offer molecular-level architectures unavailable to MCCs comprising strictly neutral components. Structural characterization of the products of mechanochemical syntheses is essential for divining clear relationships between the nature of coformers, milling conditions, reaction mechanisms, and intermolecular bonding. Notably, when powder X-ray diffraction and solid-state NMR (SSNMR) are combined with plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) calculations, they offer opportunities for NMR crystallographic solutions and structural refinements. Herein, we report mechanochemical syntheses of five urea-containing MCCs of the form NR₄Cl:xUrea·yH₂O (R = H, Et, n-Pr; x = 1, 2, 3; y = 0, 2), which can be made in high yields (> ca. 99%) and great rapidity (<40 minutes). We demonstrate the utility of ³⁵Cl SSNMR for providing distinct fingerprints for each urea MCC and detecting chlorine-containing impurities. Dispersion-corrected plane-wave DFT-D2* calculations are used for structural refinement and relating ³⁵Cl electric field gradient (EFG) tensors and chloride ion hydrogen bonding environments. Finally, ab initio molecular dynamics calculations are used to study the impact of molecular motions on ³⁵Cl EFG tensors, and their concomitant use for site assignment and NMR crystallography. Together, these techniques show great promise for future development of crystal structure prediction protocols using NMR of quadrupolar nuclei.