Amino and cyano N atoms in competitive situations: which is the best hydrogen-bond acceptor? A crystallographic database investigation

The relative hydrogen-bond acceptor abilities of amino and cyano N atoms have been investigated using data retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database and via ab initio molecular orbital calculations. Surveys of the CSD for hydrogen bonds between HX (X = N, O) donors, N—T—C≡N (push–pull nitriles) and N—(Csp³)_n—C≡N molecular fragments  show that the hydrogen bonds are more abundant on the nitrile than on the amino nitrogen. In the push–pull family, in which T is a transmitter of resonance effects, the hydrogen-bonding ability of the cyano nitrogen is increased by conjugative interactions between the lone pair of the amino substituent and the C≡N group: a clear example of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonding. The strength of the hydrogen-bonds on the cyano nitrogen in this family follows the experimental order of hydrogen-bond basicity, as observed in solution through the pK_HB scale. The number of hydrogen bonds established on the amino nitrogen is greater for aliphatic aminonitriles N—(Csp³)_n—C≡N, but remains low. This behaviour reflects the greater sensitivity of the amino nitrogen to steric hindrance and the electron-withdrawing inductive effect compared with the cyano nitrogen. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations (B3LYP/6-31+G** level) of electrostatic potentials on the molecular surface around each nitrogen confirm the experimental observations.