Structural and optical profile of a multifunctionalized 2-pyridone derivative in a crystal engineering perspective

The supramolecular structural features of organic molecules are very important with regard to their widespread properties in both solids and solutions. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a novel multifunctional 2-pyridone derivative, namely 6-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-formyl-4-methylsulfanyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile, C14H9ClN2O2S, denoted P1, and its structural features were established through X-ray crystallography. A Hirshfeld surface analysis followed by a two-dimensional fingerprint plot analysis was carried out. A frontier molecular orbital investigation and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations explored the charge-transfer interactions associated with the molecular system. The optical properties of the 2-pyridone derivative were elucidated through UV-Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, indicating a strong blue emissive nature with a colour purity of 82.5%, a short-lived lifetime and a large Stokes shift. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) was used to gain some insight into the absorption behaviour and emissive characteristics of P1.