Synthesis, molecular structure and vibrational spectra of 1,3-bis(1-adamantyl)-2-phenylpropan-1,3-diones

•New sterically hindered 1,3-diones were prepared.•Three of the new compounds were described using single crystal X-ray diffraction.•Experimental and computed NMR and vibrational spectra were compared.•All of the compounds adopt the syn-dioxo form either in the solid state or in solution.

The interest in the oxo-enol tautomerism of 1,3-dioxo compounds is justified by their usefulness in many synthetic fields. A series of new 1,3-bis(1-adamantyl)propan-1,3-diones with a variably substituted phenyl ring at the C2 position was prepared either by the reaction of an appropriate Grignard reagent with adamatane-1-carbonyl chloride or by SEAr on the unsubstituted 1,3-bis(1-adamantyl)-2-phenylpropan-1,3-dione. In addition to the single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of three of the prepared compounds, the experimental 1H and 13C NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopic data were assigned and compared to those obtained by DFT computations. In the solid state, the syn-dioxo forms were exclusively observed, which are shown to also predominate in CHCl3 solutions. The analysis of the Hirshfeld surface revealed that H⋯H and O⋯H contacts dominate the intermolecular interactions in the solid state, whereas π⋯π stacking plays a marginal role.

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