Helical chirality of 1-phenacyl-1,10-phenanthrolinium bromides

Evidence for non-coplanarity of the pyridine and pyridinium rings in a series of 1-phenacyl-1,10-phenanthrolinium bromides was gleaned from ¹H-NMR data recorded in DMSO-d₆ solution. The X-ray structure of 1-(4-chlorophenacyl)-1,10-phenanthrolinium bromide, as representative of this series, was determined in order to establish whether such a molecular distortion occurs in the solid state. The title compound crystallizes in the space group C2/c as a sesquihydrate of formula C₂₀H₁₄BrClN₂O·1.5H₂O with a = 35.7348(3) Å, b = 5.3468(1) Å, c = 21.7312(2) Å, = 116.4076(4)° and Z = 8. In the crystal, the helical chirality is manifested as a pronounced twist in the phenanthrolinium moiety, with the pyridine and pyridinium rings inclined at 6.8(2)°. This distortion is attributed to intramolecular hydrogen bonding of type C–H···N involving the methylene group and the uncharged nitrogen atom of the phenanthrolinium moiety. In the crystal, the cations surround an intricate array of water molecules and bromide ions held together by O–H···Br^– hydrogen bonds and comprising infinite chains ···Br^–···H–O–H···Br^–···, cross-linked by water molecules.