Experimental and theoretical charge density, intermolecular interactions and electrostatic properties of metronidazole.

Metronidazole is a radiosensitizer; it crystallizes in the monoclinic system with space group P21/c. The crystal structure of metronidazole has been determined from high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements at 90 K with a resolution of (sin θ/λ)max = 1.12 Å-1. To understand the charge-density distribution and the electrostatic properties of metronidazole, a multipole model refinement was carried out using the Hansen-Coppens multipole formalism. The topological analysis of the electron density of metronidazole was performed using Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules to determine the electron density and the Laplacian of the electron density at the bond critical point of the molecule. The experimental results have been compared with the corresponding periodic theoretical calculation performed at the B3LYP/6-31G** level using CRYSTAL09. The topological analysis reveals that the N-O and C-NO2 exhibit less electron density as well as negative Laplacian of electron density. The molecular packing of crystal is stabilized by weak and strong inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding and H...H interactions. The topological analysis of O-H...N, C-H...O and H...H intra- and intermolecular interactions was also carried out. The electrostatic potential of metronidazole, calculated from the experiment, predicts the possible electrophilic and nucleophilic sites of the molecule; notably, the hydroxyl and the nitro groups exhibit large electronegative regions. The results have been compared with the corresponding theoretical results.

Intermolecular interactions, charge-density distribution and the electrostatic properties of pyrazinamide anti-TB drug molecule: an experimental and theoretical charge-density study.

An experimental charge-density analysis of pyrazinamide (a first line antitubercular drug) was performed using high-resolution X-ray diffraction data [(sin θ/λ)max = 1.1 Å(-1)] measured at 100 (2) K. The structure was solved by direct methods using SHELXS97 and refined by SHELXL97. The total electron density of the pyrazinamide molecule was modeled using the Hansen-Coppens multipole formalism implemented in the XD software. The topological properties of electron density determined from the experiment were compared with the theoretical results obtained from CRYSTAL09 at the B3LYP/6-31G** level of theory. The crystal structure was stabilized by N-H...N and N-H...O hydrogen bonds, in which the N3-H3B...N1 and N3-H3A...O1 interactions form two types of dimers in the crystal. Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out to analyze the intermolecular interactions. The fingerprint plot reveals that the N...H and O...H hydrogen-bonding interactions contribute 26.1 and 18.4%, respectively, of the total Hirshfeld surface. The lattice energy of the molecule was calculated using density functional theory (B3LYP) methods with the 6-31G** basis set. The molecular electrostatic potential of the pyrazinamide molecule exhibits extended electronegative regions around O1, N1 and N2. The existence of a negative electrostatic potential (ESP) region just above the upper and lower surfaces of the pyrazine ring confirm the π-electron cloud.