Structural studies of some 1-polymethyleneimino-2,4-dinitrobenzenesand related compounds; crystal structure of 1-(cis-2′,6′-dimethylpiperidin-1′-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzene

The ultraviolet and 1H n.m.r. spectra of some 1-polymethyleneimino-2,4-dinitrobenzenes and related compounds are discussed. The effect of trifluoroacetic acid on these spectra was also investigated; with 1-azetidinyl-2,4-dinitrobenzene, acid-catalysed ring opening was observed. The solid-state conformation of 1-(cis-2′,6′-dimethylpiperidin-1′-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzene has been defined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Triclinic crystals belong to the space group P–1 with a 8.165(1), b 7.865(1), c 11.148(1) A, α 95.23(1), β 106.00(1), γ 92.63(1)˚ and Z 2. The structure was refined to a final R of 0.048 for the 2222 observed data. In the crystal, the phenyl ring adopts a slight boat conformation, while the amino and o-nitro groups are significantly twisted from the mean plane of the ring.