2‐Acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐(methoxy­amino)acetamides: functionalized amino acid anticonvulsants

In the crystal structure of 2‐acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐(methoxy­amino)acetamide (3L), C₁₂H₁₇N₃O₃, the 2‐acetyl­amino­acetamide moiety has a linearly extended conformation, with an inter­planar angle between the two amide groups of 157.3 (1)°. In 2‐acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐meth­oxy(meth­yl)­amino]­acetamide (3N), C₁₃H₁₉N₃O₃, the planes of the two amide groups inter­sect at an angle of 126.4 (4)°, resulting in a chain that is slightly more bent. The replacement of the methoxy­amino H atom of 3L with a methyl group to form 3N and concomitant loss of hydrogen bonding results in some positional/thermal disorder in the meth­oxy­(methyl)­amino group. In both structures, in addition to classical N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, there are also weak non‐standard C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bonds and packing inter­actions result in planar hydro­philic and hydro­phobic areas perpendicular to the c axis in 3L and parallel to the ab plane in the N‐meth­yl derivative. Stereochemical comparisons with phenytoin have identified two O atoms and a phenyl group as mol­ecular features likely to be responsible for the anticon­vulsant activities of these compounds.