2-Iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX) is a versatile oxidant, which
has been
used for a plethora of reactions through the years. Its explosive
properties and low solubility, the major limitations to a more widespread
use of this reactant, have led to the search for derivatives, adducts,
or mixtures with comparable oxidative properties but better characteristics.
In this paper, different adducts of IBX, in particular with pyridine
(PIBX), quinoline (QUIBX), and nicotinamide (B3-IBX), have been structurally
characterized using state-of-the-art X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD)
methods. Their oxidative properties have been tested and compared
to those of pristine IBX. While generally structure determination
from XRPD does not allow us to investigate the proton position, a
strategy was devised based on the investigation of iodine–oxygen
exocyclic bond lengths to discriminate between single and double iodine–oxygen
bonds. The final aim was to attempt to use XRPD to answer an elusive
question: salt or cocrystal?