Use of π–π forces to steer the assembly of chromone derivatives into hydrogen bonded supramolecular layers: crystal structures and Hirshfeld surface analyses

Two chromone derivatives C11H10O3 (1) and C11H10O2 (2) have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray structural studies with a detailed analysis of the Hirshfeld surfaces and fingerprint plots facilitating a comparison of intermolecular interactions in building different supramolecular architectures. The title compounds are associated through π–stacking interactions and the linear stacking of π–π forces can be thought as the influencing agent for the organization of the title compounds into hydrogen bonded supramolecular layers and are responsible as well for the strengthening of the molecular assembly. Investigation of the intermolecular interactions and crystal packing via Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals that more than two-thirds of the close contacts are associated with weak interactions. The fingerprint plots demonstrate that these weak interactions are important for both local and crystal packing. A comparison of the Hirshfeld surface in the compounds with similar substituted chromone derivatives in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) has been presented.