Crystal and molecular structure of an amber polymorph of 4-methyl-2-nitroacetanilide (MNA)

The crystal and molecular structure of a third polymorph of 4-methyl-2-nitroacetanilide has been determined by X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space groupP2₁/c,Z=4,a=10.158(2),b=11.635(2),c=8.041(2) Å and=94.55(2)°. Using 1027 unique reflections, the structure was solved by the method of vector verification and refined by full-matrix least squares, which gave convergence toR=0.080. The structure consists of nearly planar molecules, all approximately parallel to one another with their longitudinal axes parallel tob. The amide group forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond with the nitro group. Molecules related byc-glide are stacked alongc in a very distinct columnar form. The columns are held together by dipole-dipole interactions between close antiparallel carbonyl groups or between close antiparallel nitro groups.