Three anisole building blocks featuring bis(hydroxymethyl) or bis(bromomethyl) pendants have been analyzed with regard to their molecular structures and packing behaviour. The compounds are ethyl 3,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)-4-methoxybenzoate, C12H16O5, (I), [5-bromo-3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxyphenyl]methanol [or 4-bromo-2,6-bis(hydroxymethyl)anisole], C9H11BrO3, (II), and 5-bromo-1,3-bis(bromomethyl)-2-methoxybenzene [or 4-bromo-2,6-bis(bromomethyl)anisole], C9H9Br3O, (III). A typical supramolecular pattern involved C-H...π interactions generating molecular stacks, while π-π interactions were only observed in the absence of bromine, indicating a striking influence on the distances between adjacent aromatic moieties. When comparing bis(hydroxymethyl) compound (II) with bis(bromomethyl) compound (III), we found that the strong O-H...O hydrogen bonds in a zigzag arrangement in the first are replaced by C-H...Br interactions in the second without a change in the general packing.
Keywords: C—H...Br interactions; anisole; bromine–bromine contacts; building block; crystal structure.