Polymorphism and phase transition behavior of 6,6′-bis­(chloro­meth­yl)-1,1′,4,4′-tetra­methyl-3,3′-(p-phenyl­enedimethyl­ene)bis­(piperazine-2,5-dione)

A crystallographic investigation of the title compound, C 22 H 28 Cl 2 N 4 O 4 , using crystals obtained under different crystallization conditions, revealed the presence of two distinct polymorphic forms. The mol­ecular conformation in the two polymorphs is very different: one adopts a ‘C’ shape, whereas the other adopts an ‘S’ shape. In the latter, the molecule lies across a crystallographic twofold axis. The ‘S’-shaped polymorph undergoes a reversible ortho­rhom­bic-to-monoclinic phase transition on cooling, whereas the structure of the ‘C’-shaped polymorph is temperature insensitive.