Tetra- n-butyl-ammonium orotate monohydrate: knowledge-based comparison of the results of accurate and lower-resolution analyses and a non-routine disorder refinement

Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun. 2019 Oct 8;75(Pt 11):1632-1637. doi: 10.1107/S2056989019013380. eCollection 2019 Nov 1.

Abstract

The title hydrated mol-ecular salt (systematic name: tetra-n-butyl-ammonium 2,6-dioxo-1,2,3,6-tetra-hydro-pyrimidine-4-carboxyl-ate monohydrate), C16H36N+·C5H3N2O4 -·H2O, crystallizes with N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded double-stranded anti-parallel ribbons consisting of the hydro-philic orotate monoanions and water mol-ecules, separated by the bulky hydro-phobic cations. The hydro-phobic and hydro-philic regions of the structure are joined by weaker non-classical C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. An accurate structure analysis conducted at T = 100 K is compared to a lower-resolution less accurate determination using data measured at T = 295 K. The results of both analyses are evaluated using a knowledge-based approach, and it is found that the less accurate room-temperature structure analysis provides geometric data that are similar to those derived from the accurate low-temperature analysis, with both sets of results consistent with previously analyzed structures. A minor disorder of one methyl group in the cation at low temperature was found to be slightly more complex at room temperature; while still involving a minor fraction of the structure, the disorder at room temperature was found to require a non-routine treatment, which is described in detail.

Keywords: Hirshfeld surface analysis; Mogul geometry check; crystal structure; hydro­phobic–hydro­philic mol­ecular ion pair; knowledge-based analysis; orotate.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades grants PGC2018-093451-B-I00 and MAT2015-68200-C2-1-P. European Union Regional Development Fund (FEDER) grant . Diputación General de Aragón grant E11_17R.