(–)‐Parasantonic acid and its enol lactone, (+)‐parasantonide: observation of the rare acid‐to‐acid catemeric hydrogen‐bonding mode in a γ,ɛ‐diketocarboxylic acid

The title diketo acid, (−)‐,3a,7‐tri­methyl‐5,8‐dioxo‐1,4‐ethano­per­hydro­pentalene‐1‐acetic acid, CHO, is shown to aggregate in the solid state as acid‐to‐acid hydrogen‐bonded catemers, whose chains follow 2 screw axes from each carboxyl H atom to the C=O group of a neighboring carboxyl group [O⋯O = 2.672 (4) Å and O⋯H—O = 173°]. Two parallel counterdirectional screw‐related single‐strand hydrogen‐bonded chains pass through the cell in the a direction. Two intermolecular C=O⋯H—C close contacts are present in this compound. Both this diketo acid and its enol lactone, (+)‐parasantonide [systematic name: (−)‐,3a,7‐tri­methyl‐5‐oxo‐1,4‐ethenoper­hydro­pentalene‐1,8‐carbolactone], CHO, have an R configuration at the methyl­ated chiral center adjacent to the carboxyl group, unlike the precursor from which they are derived, viz. (−)‐santonic acid.     

(+)‐3‐Oxo‐4‐pregnene‐20β‐carboxyl­ic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a steroidal keto acid

The title keto acid, (+)‐23,24‐dinor‐3‐oxo­chol‐4‐en‐22‐oic acid, C₂₂H₃₂O₃, forms carboxyl‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding catemers [O?O = 2.699 (4) Å and O—H?O = 173°], linking mol­ecules screw‐related in b. The four mol­ecules in the cell form two parallel counter‐directional chains, screw‐related in a. Intermolecular C—H?O=C close contacts to different neighboring mol­ecules were found for the ketone and the acid.     

5‐Oxocyclooctanecarboxylic acid: hydrogen‐bonding pattern and conformational disorder in a medium‐ring ɛ‐keto acid

Molecules of the title compound, C₉H₁₄O₃, adopt a chiral `boat–chair' conformation, in which the carboxyl group avoids potential cross‐ring ketone interactions by an outward `equatorial' orientation. The asymmetric unit contains two such mol­ecules, one conformationally fixed without disorder, (I), and the other, (I′), extensively disordered, both in the bond lengths and angles of the carboxyl and by a coupled `up‐down' conformational disordering [ratio of 60:40 (1)] of the remote ends of the boat–chair system. Each mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit forms a centrosymmetric hydrogen‐bonded carboxyl dimer with a second mol­ecule of its own type. For (I), O?O = 2.658 (3) Å and O—H?O = 174°. For (I′), O?O = 2.653 (3) Å and O—H?O = 165°. A number of intermolecular C=O?H—C close contacts are found.     

(+)‐Camphor­acetic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a γ‐keto acid

The title compound, (1R)‐4,7,7‐tri­methyl‐3‐oxobi­cyclo­[2.2.1]­heptane‐2‐endo‐acetic acid, C₁₂H₁₈O₃, like its lower homolog, forms carboxyl‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding catemers (Z′ = 2) [O⋯O = 2.729 (5) and 2.707 (5) Å, and O—H⋯O = 165 and 170°] with screw‐related components. The two mol­ecules of the asymmetric unit differ slightly in conformation and produce two counter‐aligned hydrogen‐bonding chains, both aligned with the b axis. Close intermolecular C—H⋯O=C contacts exist for the ketone group of one mol­ecule and for both the ketone and carboxyl functions in the other.     

(–)‐Gibberic acid: hydrogen‐bonding pattern of the monohydrate of a non‐­racemic tetracyclic δ‐keto acid derivative of gibberellin A3

In the the title compound, 1,7‐di­methyl‐8‐oxo‐4bα,7α‐gibba‐1,3,4a(10a)‐triene‐10β‐carboxyl­ic acid monohydrate, C₁₈H₂₀O₃·H₂O, the water of hydration accepts a hydrogen bond from the carboxyl and donates hydrogen bonds to the carboxyl carbonyl and the ketone in two different screw‐related neighbors, which are mutually translational, yielding a complex three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding array.     

(−)‐3,7‐Dioxo‐5β‐cholanic acid: dual hydrogen‐bonding modes in a diketonic bile‐acid derivative

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C₂₄H₃₆O₄, contains three mol­ecules, all differing in their side‐chain conformations and all linked by hydrogen bonding confined entirely within a three‐mol­ecule block. One connection is of the acid‐to‐ketone type [O⋯O = 2.7055 (19) Å and O—H⋯O = 180°] and the other involves carboxyl pairing [O⋯O = 2.6485 (18) and 2.6598 (18) Å, and O—H⋯O = 168 and 174°]. Numerous inter­molecular C—H⋯O close contacts connect neighbouring mol­ecules.     

Two (+)‐α,4‐dimethyl‐2‐oxocyclo­hexaneacetic acids: hydrogen bonding in a terpenoid γ‐keto acid and in a diastereomeric lactol

The (+)‐(αS,1S,4R)‐diastereomer of the title structure, C₁₀H₁₆O₃, aggregates in the solid as non‐symmetric dimers with disorder in both carboxyl groups [O·O = 2.710 (5) and 2.638 (5) Å]. The two mol­ecules constituting the asymmetric unit pair around a pseudo‐twofold rotational axis and differ only slightly in their distances and angles, but one methyl group displays rotational disorder absent in the other mol­ecule. Five inter­molecular C—H·O close contacts exist, involving both ketone groups. The (+)‐(αR,1R,4R)‐diastereomer exists in the crystal in its closed‐ring lactol form, (3R,3aR,6R,7aR)‐2,3,3a,4,5,6,7,7a‐octa­hydro‐7a‐hydroxy‐3,6‐dimethyl­benzo[b]furan‐2‐one, C₁₀H₁₆O₃, and aggregates as hydrogen‐bonded catemers that extend from the hydroxyl group of one mol­ecule to the carbonyl group of a neighbor screw‐related along b [O·O = 2.830 (3) Å and O—H·O = 169°]. One close inter­molecular C—H·O contact exists involving the carbonyl group.     

(+)‐3,11‐Dioxoandrost‐4‐ene‐17β‐carboxyl­ic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a steroidal keto acid

The title keto acid, C₂₀H₂₆O₄, forms carboxyl‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding catemers [O?O = 2.653 (5) Å and O—H?O = 172 (5)°], linking translationally related mol­ecules via the A‐ring ketone. The two mol­ecules in the cell form two parallel counter‐directional chains, screw‐related in b. A total of four intermolecular C—H?O=C close contacts was found, involving both ketone functions.     

4‐Oxo­cyclo­hexane­carboxyl­ic acid: hydrogen bonding in the monohydrate of a δ‐keto acid

The title monohydrate, C₇H₁₀O₃·H₂O, aggregates as a complex hydrogen‐bonding network, in which the water mol­ecule accepts a hydrogen bond from the carboxyl group of one mol­ecule and donates hydrogen bonds to ketone and carboxyl Czdbnd;O functions in two additional mol­ecules, yielding a sheet‐like structure of parallel ribbons. The keto acid adopts a chiral conformation through rotation of the carboxyl group by 62.50 (15)° relative to the plane defined by its point of attachment and the ketone C and O atoms. Two C—H⋯O close contacts exist in the structure.     

(±)‐(2,3,4,4a,5,6,7,8‐Octa­hydro‐2‐oxo­naphthalen‐1‐yl)acetic acid: hydrogen‐bonding pattern of the mono­hydrate of an unsaturated bicyclic γ‐keto acid

In the title compound, C₁₂H₁₆O₃·H₂O, the water of hydration accepts a hydrogen bond from the carboxyl group and donates hydrogen bonds to the carboxyl carbonyl and the ketone groups of two different neighbors, yielding a complex three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding array. There are two independent hydrated mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit (Z′ = 2) related by a pseudo‐translation.     

(–)‐2‐(1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8aα‐Decahydro‐4aβ,8α‐dimethyl‐7‐oxo‐2β‐naphthyl)propionic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a bicyclic sesquiterpenoid ζ‐keto acid

In the title compound, C₁₅H₂₄O₃, derived from a naturally occurring sesquiterpenoid, the asymmetric unit consists of two mol­ecules differing by 167.4 (8)° in the rotational conformation of the carboxyl group. Each molecule aggregates separately with its own type as carboxyl‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding catemers [O⋯O = 2.715 (6) and 2.772 (6) Å, and O—H⋯O = 169 and 168°]. This generates two crystallographically independent single‐strand hydrogen‐bonding helices passing through the cell in the b direction, with opposite end‐to‐end orientations. One intermolecular C—H⋯O=C close contact exists for the carboxyl group of one of the mol­ecules. The structure is isostructural with that of a closely related unsaturated keto acid reported previously.     

9α‐Fluoro‐16α‐methyl‐3,11‐dioxoandrosta‐1,4‐diene‐17β‐carboxyl­ic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding and acetic acid solvation in a steroidal keto acid related to dexamethasone

The title keto acid crystallizes as a solvate, C₂₁H₂₅FO₄·C₂H₄O₂, with two mol­ecules each of steroid and acetic acid per asymmetric unit. The former are approximately parallel, with opposite end‐to‐end orientation, and form translational carboxyl‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding catemers [O⋯O = 2.679 (6) and 2.650 (5) Å, and O—H⋯O = 165 and 162°] that involve the 3‐ketone group and follow the a axis. The acetic acid mol­ecules are paired by hydrogen bonding, and neither they nor the F atom nor the 11‐ketone group play any overt role in the hydrogen‐bonding scheme of the steroid. Intermolecular C—H⋯O=C close contacts involving three different neighboring mol­ecules exist to the 11‐ketone group, the steroidal carboxyl group and one of the acetic acid molecules.     

17‐Oxo‐5α‐androstane‐3α,4β‐diyl diacetate and 17‐oxo‐5β‐androstane‐3α,4β‐diyl diacetate

The title compounds, both C₂₃H₃₄O₅, are the 5α and 5β configurations of two diacetate epimers. The 5β‐diacetate crystallizes in an hexagonal structure, unusual for steroid molecules. The unit cell has an accessible solvent volume of 358 ų, responsible for clathrate behaviour. The 5β‐epimer also features some shorter than average bond lengths in the 3α,4β‐acetoxy groups. The conformations of the molecules of both epimers are compared with those obtained through abinitio quantum chemistry calculations. Cohesion of the crystals can be attributed to van der Waals and weak molecular C—H⋯O interactions.     

(–)‐Dioxosantadienic acid: hydrogen‐bonding patterns in a bicyclic sesquiterpenoid keto acid and its mono­hydrate

The an­hydrous form, (I), of the title compound, (?)‐2‐(1,2,3,4,4a,7‐hexa­hydro‐4a,8‐di­methyl‐1,7‐dioxo‐2‐naphthyl)­propionic acid, C₁₅H₁₈O₄, derived from a naturally occurring sesquiterpenoid, has two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, (I) and (I′), differing in the conformations of the saturated ring and the carboxyl group. The compound aggregates as carboxyl‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding catemers [O?O = 2.776 (3) and 2.775 (3) Å]. Two crystallographically independent sets of single‐strand hydrogen‐bonding helices with opposite end‐to‐end orientation pass through the cell in the b direction, one consisting exclusively of mol­ecules of (I) and the other entirely of (I′). Three C—H?O=C close contacts are found in (I). The monohydrate, C₁₅H₁₈O₄·H₂O, (II), with two mol­ecules of (I) plus two water mol­ecules in its asymmetric unit, forms a complex three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding network including acid‐to‐water, water‐to‐acid, water‐to‐ketone, water‐to‐water and acid‐to‐acid hydrogen bonds, plus three C—H?O=C close contacts. In both (I) and (II), only the ketone remote from the acid is involved in hydrogen bonding.     

17‐Oxo‐5α‐androst‐6‐en‐3β‐yl acetate

In the title compound, C₂₁H₃₀O₃, a potential inhibitor of aromatase, all rings are fused trans. Rings A and C have chair conformations which are slightly flattened, whereas the conformation of ring B is close to a half‐chair. Ring D has a 14α‐envelope conformation. The steroid nucleus has a small twist, as shown by the C19—C10⋯C13—C18 (steroid numbering) torsion angle of −6.9 (3)°. Ab initio calculations of the equilibrium geometry of the mol­ecule reproduce this small twist, which appears to be due to the conformation of ring B rather than to packing effects.     

1′‐Acetyl­ferrocene‐1‐carboxyl­ic acid: an instance of hydrogen bonding in the rare dimeric acid‐to‐ketone mode

The title compound, [Fe(C₆H₅O₂)(C₇H₇O)], adopts a conformation involving partial staggering of its rings and aggregates in the solid as acid‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonding dimers [O?O = 2.720 (4) Å and O—H?O = 164°] having centro­symmetrically related components. Close intermolecular C—H?O contacts were found to both carboxyl O atoms.     

()‐3‐Ethyl‐2‐methyl‐4‐oxo­cyclo­hexane­carboxyl­ic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a cyclic δ‐keto acid

In the title compound, C₁₀H₁₆O₃, the two mol­ecules of the asymmetric unit form acid‐to‐ketone hydrogen‐bonded chains. The two species differ only very slightly and are related by a pseudo‐center, so that the apparent translational relationship among the units of the hydrogen‐bonded chain is actually a pseudo‐translation, with the mol­ecules alternating in type. Two counterdirectional pairs of chains proceed through each cell [O⋯O = 2.743 (2) and 2.683 (2) Å, and O—H⋯O = 171 (3) and 157 (3)°]. Three intermolecular C—H⋯O close contacts were found, involving all three O atoms of one of the mol­ecules.