Article

The crystal structure of 3,4,7,8-tetramethylglycoluril (5) was determined by X-ray diffraction. The structure reveals a hydrogen-bonding motif in the crystal lattice that differs from that present in related glycolurils. The two sides of each molecule form part of two independent, but parallel, infinite helical chains. These chains are formed by the NH donor and C==O acceptor on one side of a glycoluril molecule, forming H-bonds to two different molecules at adjacent positions within the helix. On the other side of the same molecule, a similar motif generates another helix of opposite helicity to the first. The molecule has a crystallographic plane of symmetry through the two bridgehead carbon atoms and the two bridgehead methyl groups, which are syn-periplanar. Thus, 5 is similar to 3,4-dimethylglycoluril (3), but differs from some glycolurils, where there is a significant dihedral angle between the two bridgehead-to-bridgehead substituent bonds. Bond lengths and angles in 5 resemble those reported for 3, but bond lengths around the bridgehead positions are slightly lengthened relative to 3.Key words: glycoluril, 1,2,5,8-tetramethyl-2,6,7,8-tetraazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane-3,7-dione, X-ray diffraction, crystal structure, hydrogen-bond array.