Coupling of the lactone-ring conformation with crystal symmetry in 6-hydroxy-4,4,5,7,8-pentamethyl-3,4-dihydrocoumarin

Conformational disorder and inversions of the lactone ring induce structural transformations in the crystals of 6-hydroxy-4,4,5,7,8-pentamethyl-3,4-dihydrocoumarin, C14H18O3. The onset of ordering of the lactone ring at 300 K proceeds continuously, changes the space group from P2(1)/m to P2(1)/c and doubles the unit cell; the abrupt inversion of the lactone rings at 225 K changes the crystal translational symmetry in the (010) plane. The mechanism combining the molecular conformation and dynamics with the crystal structure, its symmetry, and phase transitions is presented.