Influence of the position of the methyl substituent and N‐oxide formation on the geometry and intermolecular interactions of 1‐(phenoxyethyl)piperidin‐4‐ol derivatives

Aminoalkanol derivatives have attracted much interest in the field of medicinal chemistry as part of the search for new anticonvulsant drugs. In order to study the influence of the methyl substituent and N‐oxide formation on the geometry of molecules and intermolecular interactions in their crystals, three new examples have been prepared and their crystal structures determined by X‐ray diffraction. 1‐[(2,6‐Dimethylphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐ol, C₁₅H₂₃NO₂, 1 , and 1‐[(2,3‐dimethylphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐ol, C₁₅H₂₃NO₂, 2 , crystallize in the orthorhombic system (space groups P2₁2₁2₁ and Pbca, respectively), with one molecule in the asymmetric unit, whereas the N‐oxide 1‐[(2,3‐dimethylphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐ol N‐oxide monohydrate, C₁₅H₂₃NO₃·H₂O, 3 , crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c, with one N‐oxide molecule and one water molecule in the asymmetric unit. The geometries of the investigated compounds differ significantly with respect to the conformation of the O—C—C linker, the location of the hydroxy group in the piperidine ring and the nature of the intermolecular interactions, which were investigated by Hirshfeld surface and corresponding fingerprint analyses. The crystal packing of 1 and 2 is dominated by a network of O—H…N hydrogen bonds, while in 3 , it is dominated by O—H…O hydrogen bonds and results in the formation of chains.