Structure-based evaluation of the regioselectivity in bifurcated hydrogen bonds

Unsymmetrical phenolic (thio)urea molecules are investigated and compared to evaluate the regioselectivity of the bifurcated hydrogen bonds. The supramolecular aggregation can feature self-sorting homomeric α-networks through recognition between N–H···O(S) and O–H···O intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The regioselectivity of bifurcated hydrogen bond was investigated using single crystal X-ray diffraction studies, DFT calculations and Cambridge Structural Database analysis. The influence of several key variables on the fidelity of regioselectivity was described.