The influence of
molecular pedal motion on the thermal expansion
properties of three isostructural hydrogen-bonded co-crystals based
upon resorcinol is reported. The resulting co-crystals all exhibit
discrete four-component assemblies held together by O–H···N
hydrogen bonds and comprise resorcinol (res) with a series
of isosteric bipyridines, namely, 4,4′-azopyridine (4,4′-AP), trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (4,4′-BPE), and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)acetylene (4,4′-BPA).
The ability to change the core of the hydrogen bond acceptor molecules
from an azo (NN) to an ethylene (CC) and finally an
acetylene (CC) group affords co-crystals that differ in their
tendency to undergo dynamic pedal motion in the organic solid state.
All three co-crystals, 2(res)•2(4,4′-AP), 2(res)•2(4,4′-BPE), and
2(res)•2(4,4′-BPA), exhibit
thermal expansions that correlate with the strength of the noncovalent
interactions, as well as the propensity of the core to undergo pedal
motion.