A refinement of the crystal and molecular structure of acenaphthene

Abstract

The refinement of the crystal and molecular structure of acenaphthene w~s undertaken with a view to determining the effects of 'mechanical' strain in an aromatic molecule. Geiger-counter intensity measurements were made of one zone of reflexions, while photographic data were used for the refinement of the other two projections. The results show that bond lengths remain practically unaltered, so that even the bonds in the naphthalene nucleus are not significantly different from those in naphthalene itself. The analysis of the packing of the molecules shows that minimum approach distances can also be considered as constant if the hydrogen atoms are not omitted from the examination of the intermolectflar contacts.