Hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assemblies of citric acid, CA, with some heterocyclic compounds (N-donor
and N-oxide)acridine (acr), phenazine (phenz), 1,10-phenanthroline (110phen), 1,7-phenanthroline (17phen),
4,7-phenanthroline (47phen), 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane
(dabco), and 4,4′-bipyridyl-N,N′-dioxide (bpydo)have
been reported. Among these, only the N-donors phenz and N-oxide (bpydo) form neutral co-crystals, while the others form salts owing to
the deprotonation of −COOH. Thus, depending on the nature of
the aggregate (salt/co-crystal), recognition between the co-formers
is established through O–H···N/N+–H···O/N+H···O–
heteromeric hydrogen bonding. Additionally, CA molecules establish homomeric interactions
mediated by O–H···O hydrogen bonds. Moreover, CA forms a cyclic network with the co-formers or on its own,
with a noteworthy feature of formation of host–guest networks
in the assemblies with acr and phenz (solvated). In the assembly of acr, the CA molecules form a host network and captivate acr molecules as guest species, while in the case of phenz assembly, both the co-formers together encapsulate the solvent in
the channels. However, the observed cyclic networks in the other structures
form three-dimensional topologies in the form of ladders, a sandwich,
lamellar layers, and interpenetrated networks. The structural features
of the ensembles are evaluated unequivocally by the single-crystal
X-ray diffraction method, while the homogeneity and phase purity are
evaluated by using the powder X-ray diffraction method and differential
scanning calorimetry. Further, conformational analysis of CA molecules reveals three types of conformationsT-shape (type
I), syn–anti (type II), and syn (type III) as also observed in the literature for other CA co-crystals. In addition, the strength of the intermolecular interactions
is quantified by performing Hirshfeld analysis.