The sensitivity of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy to Brønsted donation and the protonation state of nitrogen in the solid state is investigated through a series of multicomponent bipyridine− acid systems alongside X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data. A large shift to high energy occurs for the 1s → 1π* resonance in the nitrogen K-edge NEXAFS with proton transfer from the acid to the bipyridine base molecule and allows assignment as a salt (CNH + ), with the peak ratio providing the stoichiometry of the types of nitrogen species present. A corresponding binding energy shift for CNH + is observed in the nitrogen XPS, clearly identifying protonation and formation of a salt. The similar magnitude shifts observed with both techniques relative to the unprotonated nitrogen of co-crystals (CN) suggest that the chemical state (initial-state) effects dominate. Results from both techniques reveal the sensitivity to identify proton transfer, hydrogen bond disorder, and even the potential to distinguish variations in hydrogen bond length to nitrogen.
■ INTRODUCTIONProton (hydrogen) transfer can be thought of as one of the simplest chemical reactions, ranging from complete transfer from an acidic to a basic moiety (protonation through Brønsted donation) to varying degrees of sharing through hydrogen bonding. Whether Brønsted proton transfer occurs has a profound effect on the location of protons in crystal structures and influences chemical and physical properties. These interactions can be employed to target properties of solid forms (crystal engineering), with particular relevance to the pharmaceutical industry where acid/base guest molecules can be combined with active ingredients to tailor properties such as solubility and bioavailability through formation of salts and cocrystals. 1−4 Other relevant fields are organic ferroelectrics, 5 energetic materials, 6 and the design of materials with targeted optical properties such as color 7 and luminescence. 8,9 Even among hydrogen bonds, the level of interaction with the donor and acceptor atoms can vary significantly, from relatively weak to strong with quasi-covalent character, 10 and there is also the possibility of disordered hydrogen bonds. 11 While X-ray diffraction (XRD) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ssNMR) are often techniques of choice for structural characterization, 2,11−14 they are not always unambiguous with regard to proton locations (although further clarity can often be obtained by neutron diffraction). 11,13−16 The importance of accurate characterization of salts vs co-crystals based on this relatively small difference in proton location should not be underestimated, particularly with the wider implications for intellectual property and regulatory control in the pharmaceutical industry. 4,17 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has recently been shown to unequivocally identify whether intermolecular proton transfer occurs in a range of two-component systems and distinguish protonation (salt...