The charge density in the high density (ρ = 1.912 g·cm -3 ) organic ferroelectric, croconic acid, was determined from low temperature (20 K) X-ray diffraction data, and DFT theoretical calculations. The high density was associated with strong intermolecular interaction
IntroductionThe recent discovery of the ferroelectric properties of croconic acid (4,5-dihydroxy-4-cyclopentene-1,2,3-trione, C 5 H 2 O 5 ) crystals [1] has solicited new interest in this high density (ρ = 1.912 g·cm -3 ) organic compound, both in applications and research science. For example, a successful attempt has recently been made to deposit thin films of croconic acid using Matrix-assisted pulsed laser deposition (MAPLE). [2] Additional density functional theoretical calculations, [3,4] X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with ab initio methods, [5] as well as studies by NQR and NMR spectroscopy [6] reflect the increasing attraction of this compound in the last two years. Although croconic acid has been known since 1825, when it was discovered by L. Gmelin [7] who named it "croconic" due to its yellow color, and despite being used as a colorant and for preparation of various dyes for a long time, the publication of its crystal structure first appeared in 2001. [8] This work was followed by further structural studies on the monovalent [Li + , K + , Na + , Rb + , Cs + , (NH 4 ) + ] cation salts and croconic acid itself [9] to understand the nature of hydrogenbond interactions and packing forces in such crystals. Nevertheless, the investigation of the charge density distribution in the croconic acid crystal has not been reported.In this paper we present an extensive study of the electron density distribution and its derivatives to gain insight into the high density and ferroelectric properties of this compound. Three different methods were applied and the results compared with each other: data obtained from a precise X-ray diffraction * Prof. Dr. A. A. Pinkerton Fax: +1-419-530-4033 E-Mail: A.Pinkerton@utoledo.edu [a]1969 energies. The spontaneous polarization is correlated with the derived molecular dipole moment (9.3 Debye). Improvements in multipole refinement protocols are described. Limitations in the multipole model with respect to heteronuclear bond properties are discussed.