Webpage of the Chemical Crystallography Research Laboratory: www.chemcryst.hu

Research interest

I. Basics of “crystal engineering”: supramolecular interactions, polymorphy, temperature and pressure

Our research group has a long tradition in both supramolecular chemistry and polymorphy studies. Isostruturality indices were introduced, morphotropy was described, and the first examples of morphotropy induced by supramolecular effects were revealed by our group. Combining all these knowledge we show how to fine tune structural properties by gradual chemical change. We demonstrate how the well balanced spatial and electrostatic forces play role in the arrangement of packing motifs in the crystals. Our research interest is extended on supramolecular interactions of one and multicomponent systems under ambient and non-ambient conditions. Performing crystal engineering, e.g. fine tuning of crystal architecture requires the recognition, understanding and application of supramolecular interactions, crystallographic and in case of occurrence, non-crystallographic symmetries. We focus our work on crystal engineering, supramolecular chemistry of one and more component systems of biologically relevant organic molecules, organometallic compounds and metal coordination complexes.

Granted by:

NKFIH K 124544: „A “crystal engineering” alapjai: szupramolekuláris kölcsönhatások, polimorfia, hőmérséklet és nyomás”

Related publications:

  1. Petra Bombicz: What is isostructurality? Questions on the definition. IUCrJ. 11, 3–6. 2024, coverpage, Full text
  2. Nóra V. May, G. Tamás Gál, Tamás Holczbauer, Laura Bereczki, Valerio B. Di Marco, Petra Bombicz: “Gradual changes of the aromaticity in a series of hydroxypyridine-carboxylic acid derivatives and its effect on tautomerism and crystal packing” Crystal Growth and Design, “Special issue on the “Legacy and Future Impact of the Cambridge Structural Database: A Tribute to Dr Olga Kennard” Full text
  3. Laura Bereczki, Amit Zodge, Márton Kőrösi, Tamás Holczbauer, Sourav De, Edit Székely, Petra Bombicz: “A bug in enantiomer separation: double salt formation – diastereomeric and double salt structures of 1-cyclohexylethylammonium 2-and 4-chloromandelate.” CrystEngComm. 23(31) 5367-5376, (2021)
  4. G. Tamás Gál, Nóra V. May, László Trif, Judith Mihály, Petra Bombicz: “Solvatomorph and polymorph screening of Clopamide drug and its copper(II) complex crystals” CrystEngComm. 2021, 23, 7425-7441 Full text
  5. Petra Bombicz, Nóra V. May, Dániel Fegyverneki, Avirmed Saranchimeg, Laura Bereczki, “Methods for easy recognition of isostructurality – lab jack-like crystal structures of halogenated 2-phenylbenzimidazoles.” Cryst. Eng. Comm., Invited article to the themed issue on using “The Cambridge Structural Database – A wealth of knowledge gained from a million structures” inside back cover page. (If: 3.382 (2019) Full text
  6. Márton Bojtár, András Simon, Petra Bombicz, István Bitter “Expanding the pillararene chemistry: synthesis and application of a 10+1 functionalised pillar[5]arene” Organic Letters(2017) (IF2016: 6.579) 19 (17), 4528–4531 Full text
  7. Petra Bombicz „The way from isostructurality to polymorphy. Where are the borders? The role of supramolecular interactions and crystal symmetries.” Crystallography Reviews, 23(2), 118-151 (2017). (IF: 1.600) Full text
  8. Klára Aradi, Petra Bombicz, Zoltán Novák “Modular Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of Chromeno[4,3-b]quinolones with the Utilization of Diaryliodonium Salts” Journal of Organic Chemistry, 81, 920-931, 2016. (IF: 4.849) Full text
  9. Resnati G, Boldyreva E, Bombicz P, Kawano M (2015)Supramolecular interactions in the solid state, IUCrJ 2, 675–690  (feature article) (IF: 5.300) Full text
  10. Bombicz P*, Gruber T, Fischer C, Weber E, Kálmán A Fine Tuning Of Crystal Architecture By Intermolecular Interactions: Synthon Engineering CrystEngComm16:(18) Pp. 3646-3654. (2014), Invited Paper, Highlight Paper, Cover Page If: 4.034 Full text

 

II. Crystallization to create solid state molcular associations

Our goal is to obtain and determine the structures of new polymorphic or isostructural crystal forms of small organic molekules, particularly active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) by single crystal X-ray diffraction and several thermal analytic methods. It includes the development of laboratory crystallization processes to grow single crystals of one- or two-component systems, clathrates, inclusion complexes and co-crystals. Physico-chemical properties can be gradualy modified e.g. solidity that is related to the formulation, solubility that is connected to bioavailability in human body and stability that infulences the durability.

Granted by:

NKFIH K 100801: „A szupramolekuláris kölcsönhatások szerepe egy- és többkomponensű szilárd fázisú rendszerek felépítésében”

MTA Infrastruktúra pályázatok 2014, 2015, 2016

Related publications

  1. Tamás Holczbauer, Dalma Gál, János Rohonczy, Eberhard Matern, Ewald Sattler, Petra Bombicz, Zsolt Kelemen, Ilona Kovács: “Iron(II) Complexes of P3-Chain Ligands: Structural Diversity.” Chemistry—A European Journal, 2023, 29(69), e202302661 Full text
  2. István Orbán, Bertalan Varga, Péter Bagi, Tamás Holczbauer, Zsolt Rapi: “Enantioselective Cyclopropanation of 2-Cyano-3-arylacrylates Using Carbohydrate-Based Crown Ethers” Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2022, Full text
  3. Dániel Vajk Horváth, Tamás Holczbauer*, Laura Bereczki, Roberta Palkó, Nóra Veronika May, Tibor Soós, Petra Bombicz“Polymorphism of a porous hydrogen bond assisted ionic organic framework” CrystEngComm (2018) 20, 1779-1782. (Back cover) Full text
  4. Dobi Z, Holczbauer T, Soós T (2015)Strain-Driven Direct Cross-Aldol and -Ketol Reactions of Four-Membered Heterocyclic Ketones, Org. Lett., 17 (11),2634–2637 (IF: 6.364) Full text
  5. Varga E, Mika LT, Csámpai A, Holczbauer T, Kardosa Gy and Soós T (2015)Mechanistic investigations of a bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst in asymmetric Michael reaction and observation of stereoselective retro-Michael reaction, RSC Adv., 5, 95079–95086    (IF: 3.840) Full text

III. Structural investigation of bioactive organic molecules and their metal complexes

In diverse fields of clinical practices, metal complexes of small biomolecule are frequently used as bioactive compounds eg. drugs, imaging agents, or chelators. X-ray diffraction method is one of the most powerful technique for the investigation of single crystals of these organic compounds and their complexes. Though crystallographic method can offer detailed and accurate data on the structure of metal-bioligand complexes, it is limited only for solid states. For these bioactive compounds the knowledge of the speciation, and the most plausible chemical forms, in aqueous solution is mandatory. Electron paramagnetic resoncance (EPR) spectroscopy is able to detect paramagnetic metal complexes in solution equilibrium systems. Such a structural comparison obtained at different phases can disclose interesting features of the intramolecular and intermolecular interactions of the complexes, and reveal possible structural transformations which can be crucial both for their biological functions and pharmaceutical formulations.

Granted by:

NKFIH K 115762: “Bioligandumok és funkcionális fémkomplexeinek szerkezetmeghatározása szilárd és oldat fázisban”

NKFIH K 124240: “Rákellenes platinafém és tioszemikarbazon komplexek fejlesztése és vizsgálata”

FWO-MTA Mobilitási Pályázat NKM-94/2018

Related publications

  1. Róbert Diószegi, Dóra Kelemen, Attila Cs. Bényei, Nóra V. May, István Fábián, Norbert Lihi: “Copper(II) complexes of pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide ligands with high SOD activity” Inorg. Chem. 61, 4, 2319–2332 (2022) IF: 5.436 (2021) Full text
  2. Nóra V. May, Kevin Nys, Hong Yue Vincent Ching, Laura Bereczki, Tamás Holczbauer, Valerio B. Di Marco and Petra Bombicz: “Crystal structures of zinc(II) complexes with b-hydroxypyridinecarboxylate ligands: examples of structure-directing effects used in inorganic crystal engineering” Acta Cryst. (2021). B77 Full text
  3. Nóra V. May*, Attila Jancsó, Éva A. Enyedy, “Binding Models of Copper(II) Thiosemicarbazone Complexes with Human Serum Albumin: A Speciation Study”
    Molecules, 2021, 26(9), 2711 Full text
  4. Ferenc Matyuska, Attila Szorcsik, Nóra V. May, Ágnes Dancs, Éva Kováts, Attila Bényei and Tamás Gajda “Tailoring the local environment around metal ions: solution chemical and structural study of some multidentate tripodal ligands” Dalton Trans., 46, 8626-8642 (2017) (IF:4.029) Full text
  5. Eszter Tóth, Nóra V. May, Antal Rockenbauer, Gábor Peintler and Béla Gyurcsik “Exploring the boundaries of direct detection and characterization of labile isomers – a case study of copper(II)–dipeptide systems” Dalton Trans.,46, 8157-8166 (2017) (IF:4.029) Full text
  6. Jelena M. Poljarević,  Tamás Gál, Nóra V. May, Gabriella Spengler, Orsolya Dömötör, Aleksandar R. Savić, Sanja Grgurić-Šipka, Éva A. Enyedy “Comparative solution equilibrium and structural studies of half-sandwich ruthenium(II)(η6-toluene) complexes of picolinate derivatives” Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry (2018) 181, 74-85.Full text

Cooperations

  • All major universities in Hungary (Budapest: BUTE, REU, Szeged Univ., Pannon Univ.) and
  • research laboratories from abroad: Austria (Graz), Italy (Parma), Germany (Berlin,Freiberg), USA (El Paso) and the Republic of South Africa (Cape Town).

Educational activities

  • Chemistry Doctoral School (Ph.D.), ELTE
  • Laboratory thesis projects (B.Sc., M.Sc., TDK)
  • Summer technical experience courses

Equipment

  • Rigaku R-AXIS RAPID image plate diffractometer,
  • X-Stream 2000 low temp unit,
  • Enraf-Nonius turbo CAD-4 diffractometer, stereo microscopes,
  • Cambridge Structural Database Hung. Affiliated Data Center
  • Hot-Stage equipment
  • Differencial Scanning Chalorimeter (DSC)

Measurement possibilities

  • collection of single crystal diffraction data from organic, metal-organic, inorganic and small protein single crystals in the temperature range of -180 – +60 oC degree
  • determination of single crystal structures by direct and charge flipping methods, refinement and interpretation of obtained structural forms
  • collection of diffraction data of instable crystals
  • structural determination of twin crystals and/or crystals with low resolution
  • following solid state chemical reactions by crystallization of intermediate molecules
  • searching possibilities in the Cambridge Structural Database

Leader

Petra Bombicz

Members