An arene-arene double T-contact describes a pair of intermolecular arene-arene T-contacts between two molecules that each contain two spacer-connected arene rings. We have been employing such double T-contacts as lateral synthons in the crystal engineering of highly anisotropic organic crystals. In particular, this type of intermolecular interaction has been employed as a stabilizing factor to overcome the intrinsic preference for the anti-parallel alignment of dipolar molecules. Here, we review pertinent properties of benzene and of the benzene-benzene interaction and present and discuss arene-arene double T-contacts in crystals of a representative number of symmetrical and unsymmetrical acetophenone azines, X-C6H4-CMe=N-N=CMe-C6H4-Y, including the structures of two near-perfectly dipole parallel-aligned crystals.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rainer-glaser/29/