Open AccessThe form of the central carbon atom in pentaerythritol tetra-acetate as shown by X-ray crystal analysis
Publication year - 1929
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series a, containing papers of a mathematical and physical character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9150
pISSN - 0950-1207
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.1929.0006
Subject(s) - pentaerythritol , tetragonal crystal system , tetra , crystallography , carbon fibers , atom (system on chip) , carbon atom , chemistry , crystal (programming language) , crystal structure , materials science , organic chemistry , medicinal chemistry , composite number , ring (chemistry) , fire retardant , computer science , programming language , embedded system , composite material
A survey of those organic compounds in which carbon prevails seems to indicate that the carbon atom has a tendency to preserve the tetrahedral symmetry which it exhibits in diamond. It is to be expected, however, that this symmetry may be distorted to some extent, when the carbon atom is associated with other atoms or groups of atoms. In the present paper an attempt is made to study the behaviour of the central carbon atom in pentaerythritol tetra-acetate, C(CH2 OCOCH3 )4 , where the carbon atom is associated with four like radicals of relatively large molecular weight.Crystallographic Data . Pentaerythritol tetra-acetate crystallises from dilute alcohol in tetragonal prismatic needles, which are occasionally terminated by a tetragonal pyramid. The crystals were previously described as tetragonal with an axial ratio a : c = l: 0·324 and the class uncertain. The density D4° 18° was found to be 1·273 (through an undetected printer's error it was given as 1·213) and the refractive indices ∑ = 1·483 and ω = 1·433.