The Crystal Structure of l-Alanine

Author: Simpson, Harry James, Jr.

Year: 1965

Degree: Bachelor's thesis

Advisor: Unknown, Unknown

Committee Member: Unknown, Unknown

Option: Chemistry

DOI: 10.7907/y722-0e88

Abstract

The crystal structure of l-alanine, C₃H₇O₂N, has been determined and refined by analysis of complete three-dimensional diffraction data from copper X-radiation. The crystals are orthorhombic with space group P2₁P2₁P2₁ ; the unit cell dimensions are a = 6.032, b = 12.343, c = 5.784 Å. Least-squares refinement of the positional parameters of all 13 atoms and of the individual anisotropic temperature factors of the six heavy atoms, using 581 observed reflections of non-zero weight, yielded a final R factor of 0.049.

The structure bears a striking resemblance to that of dl-alanine, and involves the use of all available protons in hydrogen bonding, with lengths of 2.83, 2.85, and 2.81 Å.

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