tert-Butyl 2-methyl-2-(4-nitrobenzoyl)propanoate

Abstract

The title compound, C15H19NO5, is bent with a dihedral angle of 61.8 (2)° between the mean planes of the benzene ring and a group encompassing the ester functionality (O=C—O—C). The dihedral angle of 0.8 (2)° between the mean planes of the nitro group and the benzene ring indicates near coplanarity. In the crystal, each molecule is linked to four adjacent molecules by weak C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions. Both benzene H atoms ortho to the ketone O atom form C—H...O hydrogen bonds with the keto O atoms of two neighboring molecules (of the keto and ester groups, respectively), and the two other interactions involve the H atoms from a methyl group of the dimethyl residue, displaying C—H...O interactions with the O atoms of the nitro groups. These four interactions for each molecule lead to the formation of two-dimensional sheets with a hydrophilic interior, held together by weak hydrogen-bonded interactions, and a hydrophobic exterior composed of protruding methyl groups which interstack with the methyl groups in adjacent sheets.