Disorder within dicarboxylates and supramolecular structural control in hydrogen-bonded networks

The crystal structures of two hydrogen-bonded adducts containing omicron-bromoterephthalate have been determined and shown to be virtually identical to those of their terephthalate analogues. Consequently, the strategy of manipulating the relative orientation of the carboxylate groups by adding a bromine atom to terephthalate, which has previously been used to give metal-organic frameworks with predictable structure, can be frustrated with the observation of disorder in the bromine position.