Crystal structures of three N,N,N′-trisubstituted thioureas for reactivity-controlled nanocrystal synthesis

Abstract

The synthesis and single-crystal X-ray structures of three N,N,N′-trisubstituted thioureas are reported, namely N,N,N′-tribenzylthiourea, C22H22N2S (1), N-methyl-N,N′-diphenylthiourea, C14H14N2S (2), and N,N-di-n-butyl-N′-phenylthiourea, C15H24N2S (3). The influence of the different substituents on the thioureas is clear from the delocalization of the thiourea C—N and C=S bonds, while the crystal structures show infinite chains of N,N,N′-tribenzylthiourea (1), hydrogen-bonded pairs of N-methyl-N,N′-diphenylthiourea (2) and hexamer ring assemblies of N,N-di-n-butyl-N′-phenylthiourea (3) molecules. The above-mentioned compounds were synthesized via a mild, general procedure, readily accessible precursors and with a high yield, providing straightforward access to a whole library of thioureas.

Keywords

• crystal structure
• nanocrystals
• thioureas