Crystal Structure of the Insecticide Ethiprole (CHClFNOS): a Case Study of Whole-mol-ecule Configurational Disorder

The crystal structure of ethiprole {systematic name: 5-amino-1-[2,6-di-chloro-4-(tri-fluoro-meth-yl)phen-yl]-4-ethane-sulfinyl-1-imidazole-3-carbo-nitrile}, CHClFNOS, a phenyl-pyrazole-based insecticide, is presented. The pyrazole ring carries four substituents: an N-bound 2,6-di-chloro-4-tri-fluoro-methyl-phenyl ring and C-bound amine, ethane-sulfinyl, and cyano groups. The sulfur atom of the ethane-sulfinyl group is trigonal-pyramidal and stereogenic. The structure exhibits whole-mol-ecule configurational disorder due to superposition of enanti-omers. The crystal packing is dominated by strong N-H⋯O and N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, which form (18) and (12) ring motifs. Since the ethiprole mol-ecule is quite small, and structure solution and refinement were straightforward, the structure presents a convenient instructional example for modelling whole-body disorder of a non-rigid mol-ecule. To this end, a step-by-step overview of the model-building and refinement process is also given. The structure could form the basis of a useful classroom, practical, or workshop-style example.