Substituent-Modulated Conformation and Supramolecular Assembly of Tetronamides

The crystal structures of nine compounds (1–9) bearing the 4-aminofuran-2(5H)-one scaffold (commonly known as tetronamide, C4H5NO2) and two decorating aromatic/heteroaromatic moieties with two stereocenters have been determined. Tetronamides bearing at the 5-position a phenyl moiety (1 and 2, 3-chloro derivatives with either a 4-p-tolylamino or 4-p-bromophenylamino substituent), an o-bromopyridyl moiety (3, a 3-bromo-4-p-tolylamino derivative), or an o-tolyl moiety (4, a 3-bromo-4-p-tolylamino derivative) adopt a U-shaped conformation. This conformation is stabilized by an intramolecular contact involving either the phenyl o-CH moiety (1 and 2) or the substituent at the ortho position (3 and 4) and the π system of the N-phenyl ring. The other five tetronamides (5–9) are not present with such an intramolecular contact. In fact, these last five compounds are not U-shaped and feature the presence at the 5-position of a p-biphenyl moiety (5 and 7, 3-bromo-4-p-tolylamino diastereomers differing as 5R and 5S), ...