Single crystal neutron diffraction refinement of bullvalene at 110 K

A low-temperature neutron diffraction refinement of the crystal structure of bullvalene, C/sub 10/H/sub 10/, tricyclo(3.3.2.0/sup 2.8/)deca-2,5,8-triene, shows that the molecule is distorted only very slightly from the C/sub 3 upsilon/ symmetry expected for the isolated molecule, although the crystal structure symmetry is monoclinic. There is a small but significant difference between the shortest and longest of the C-C bonds in the cyclopropane ring, which are 1.536 (1), 1.533 (1), and 1.530 (1) A. The three ethylenic wings of the molecule are virtually identical, except for small differences in planarity and C-C-H angles. One wing is exactly planar within 0.002 (3) A. In the other two, one of the hydrogen atoms in each is significantly displaced from the plane by 0.027 (3) and 0.023 (3) A. The mean bond lengths in the ethylenic wings are C/sub ring/-C, 1.4727 (7) A; C=C, 1.3423 (7) A; =C-C, 1.5163 (7) A. The C-H bond lengths range from 1.086 (2) to 1.092 (2) A. The thermal motion analysis gives an unusually good fit to the rigid-body model. Corrections for harmonic thermal motion lengthened all C-C and C=C bonds uniformly by 0.003 A. For the C-H bonds, the harmonic riding motion and anharmonicity corrections almost cancel, so that the thermally corrected bond lengths differ from those measured by +/- 0.001 A.