1 research outputs found
Conformational Polymorphism: The Missing Phase of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane (Cl<sub>2</sub>HC–CHCl<sub>2</sub>)
Halogenoethane derivatives are known
to exhibit different polymorphs
involving a different translational, orientational, and conformational
order. The 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (Cl<sub>2</sub>HC–CHCl<sub>2</sub>) exhibits a normal pressure orthorhombic phase β (space
group <i>P</i>2<sub>1</sub>2<sub>1</sub>2<sub>1</sub> with <i>Z</i> = 8 and <i>Z</i>′ = 2), formed by molecules
with one of the two <i>gauche</i> conformations. At high
pressure, the stable polymorph is known to be monoclinic (space group <i>P</i>2<sub>1</sub>/<i>c</i>, with <i>Z</i> = 2 and <i>Z</i>′ = 0.5), phase α, in which
only the <i>trans</i> conformer appears. In this work, we
demonstrate the existence of a normal pressure metastable polymorph,
phase γ, for which the two <i>gauche</i> conformers
show up in the asymmetric unit of a monoclinic (space group <i>P</i>2<sub>1</sub>/<i>c</i> with <i>Z</i> = 8 and <i>Z</i>′ = 2) structure. The new phase
γ is obtained by recrystallization upon heating the glass obtained
after quench of the melt. It displays shorter type II Cl···Cl
contacts than the high-pressure phase α due to attractive and
directional interactions