The effect of temperature and pressure on the crystal structure of piperidine

BACKGROUND: The response of molecular crystal structures to changes in externally applied conditions such as temperature and pressure are the result of a complex balance between strong intramolecular bonding, medium strength intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonds, and weaker intermolecular van der Waals contacts. At high pressure the additional thermodynamic requirement to fill space efficiently becomes increasingly important. RESULTS: The crystal structure of piperidine-d(11) has been determined at 2 K and at room temperature at pressures between 0.22 and 1.09 GPa. Unit cell dimensions have been determined between 2 and 255 K, and at pressures up to 2.77 GPa at room temperature. All measurements were made using neutron powder diffraction. The crystal structure features chains of molecules formed by NH…N H-bonds with van der Waals interactions between the chains. Although the H-bonds are the strongest intermolecular contacts, the majority of the sublimation enthalpy may be ascribed to weaker but more numerous van der Waals interactions. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the thermal expansion data in the light of phonon frequencies determined in periodic DFT calculations indicates that the expansion at very low temperature is governed by external lattice modes, but above 100 K the influence of intramolecular ring-flexing modes also becomes significant. The principal directions of thermal expansion are determined by the sensitivity of different van der Waals interactions to changes in distance. The principal values of the strain developed on application of pressure are similarly oriented to those determined in the variable-temperature study, but more isotropic because of the need to minimise volume by filling interstitial voids at elevated pressure. [Figure: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13065-015-0086-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.