Ethyl 4‐do­decyl‐3,5‐di­methyl‐1H‐pyrrole‐2‐carboxyl­ate: intermolecular interactions in an amphiphilic pyrrole

The title compound, C₂₁H₃₇NO₂, is a new amphiphilic pyrrole with a long hydro­carbon chain, which will be used as a precursor for the synthesis of Langmuir–Blodgett films of porphyrins. Molecules related by an inversion centre are joined head‐to‐head into dimers by strong N—H?O hydrogen bonds. The dimers pack in the structure with their carbon chains parallel to one another, thereby forming alternating layers of carbon chains and pyrrole heads. The structure is further stabilized by two weak C—H?π intermolecular interactions, thereby saturating the hydrogen‐bonding capability of the aromatic π‐electron clouds.