Torsional vibration and central bond length of N-benzylideneanilines

The crystal structures of N-benzylideneaniline (1), N-benzylidene-4-carboxyaniline (2), N-(4-methylbenzylidene)-4-nitroaniline (3), N-(4-nitrobenzylidene)-4-methoxyaniline (4), N-(4-nitrobenzylidene)-4-methylaniline (5), N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)aniline (6) and N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-methylaniline (7) were determined by X-ray diffraction analyses at various temperatures. In the crystal structures of all the compounds, an apparent shortening of the central C=N bond was observed at room temperature. As the temperature was lowered, the observed bond lengths increased to approximately 1.28 A at 90 K, irrespective of substituents in the molecules. The shortening and the temperature dependence of the C=N bond length are interpreted in terms of an artifact caused by the torsional vibration of the C-Ph and N-Ph bonds in the crystals. In the crystal structures of (1) and (7), a static disorder around the C=N bond was observed, which is also responsible for the apparent shortening of the C=N bond.