Self-organization of substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles in the solid state and at surfaces.

Different aspects of the structure formation for a class of molecules containing the diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole fragment are discussed. Starting from the bulk state with the ideal crystal lattice and the derivation of some common packing motifs the formation of liquid-crystalline states are described. This leads to the consideration of structures found in Langmuir-Blodgett films and those obtained by organic molecular beam deposition.

Two polymorphic forms of 2,5-bis(4-methoxycarbonylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole.

The title compound [systematic name: dimethyl 4,4'-(1,3,4-oxadiazole-2,5-diyl)diphenylenedicarboxylate], C(18)H(14)N(2)O(5), crystallizes under similar conditions in two different orthorhombic crystalline forms. In both forms, the molecule consists of two equivalent parts. In form 1, these parts are related by a twofold axis of space group Pbcn, and in form 2, by a mirror plane of space group Cmc2(1).