Crystal Structure and Cationic Motion of o-Toluidinium Chloranilate and m-Toluidinium Chloranilate Studied by X-ray Diffraction and 1H NMR

The crystal structure of o-toluidinium chloranilate and m-toluidinium chloranilate, 2CH3C6H4NH3 · C6O4Cl22−, was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction at room temperature. It was found that o-toluidinium chloranilate (I) is monoclinic, P21/n (#14), Z = 2, a = 5.2184(14), b = 7.825(2), c = 22.840(5) Å, and β = 92.015(19)◦ , and m-toluidinium chloranilate (II) is monoclinic, P21/c (#14), Z = 2, a = 11.214(2), b = 5.4844(10), c = 16.379(6) Å, and β = 105.21(2)◦ . In these salts, the cations are connected with the anions by N-H. . . O hydrogen bonds to form 2:1 units of 2CH3C6H4NH3 · C6O4Cl22− that are located on inversion centers. The 2CH3C6H4NH3 · C6O4Cl22− units in both salts are connected by other N-H. . . O hydrogen bonds to build a three-dimensional hydrogen-bond network. Motions of the toluidinium ions in solid (I) and (II) were studied by 1H NMR spin-lattice relaxation time measurements. Reorientations of the NH3 group about the C-N bond axis and the CH3 group about the C-C bond axis were observed, and their motional parameters were evaluated. The internal rotational barriers of the NH3 and CH3 groups of an isolated o-toluidinium ion were estimated from ab initio molecular orbital calculations at HF/6-31G(d,p), MP2/6-31G(d,p), and B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory.