Crystal structure, DFT calculation, Hirshfeld surface analysis and energy framework study of 6-bromo-2-(4-bromo­phen­yl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine

The title imidazo[1,2-a] pyridine derivative, C(13)H(8)Br(2)N(2), was synthesized via a single-step reaction method. The title mol­ecule is planar, showing a dihedral angle of 0.62 (17)° between the phenyl and the imidazo[1,2-a] pyridine rings. An intra­molecular C—H⋯N hydrogen bond with an S(5) ring motif is present. In the crystal, a short H⋯H contact links adjacent mol­ecules into inversion-related dimers. The dimers are linked in turn by weak C—H⋯π and slipped π–π stacking inter­actions, forming layers parallel to (110). The layers are connected into a three-dimensional network by short Br⋯H contacts. Two-dimensional fingerprint plots and three-dimensional Hirshfeld surface analysis of the inter­molecular contacts reveal that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯Br/Br⋯H (26.1%), H⋯H (21.7%), H⋯C/C⋯H (21.3%) and C⋯C (6.5%) inter­actions. Energy framework calculations suggest that the contacts formed between mol­ecules are largely dispersive in nature. Analysis of HOMO–LUMO energies from a DFT calculation reveals the pure π character of the aromatic rings with the highest electron density on the phenyl ring, and σ character of the electron density on the Br atoms. The HOMO–LUMO gap was found to be 4.343 eV.