Hydrogen-Bonded Cyclic Dimers at Large Compression: The Case of 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-h]quinoline and 2-(2′-pyridyl)pyrrole

1H-pyrrolo[3,2-h]qinoline (PQ) and 2-(2 '-pyridyl)pyrrole (PP) are important systems in the study of proton-transfer reactions. These molecules possess hydrogen bond donor (pyrrole) and acceptor (pyridine) groups, which leads to the formation of cyclic dimers in their crystals. Herein, we present a joint experimental (Raman scattering) and computational (DFT modelling) study on the high-pressure behaviour of PQ and PP molecular crystals. Our results indicate that compression up to 10 GPa (100 kbar) leads to considerable strengthening of the intermolecular hydrogen bond within the cyclic dimers. However, the intramolecular N-H center dot center dot center dot N interaction is either weakly affected by pressure, as witnessed in PQ, or weakened due to compression-induced distortions of the molecule, as was found for PP. Therefore, we propose that the compression of these systems should facilitate double proton transfer within the cyclic dimers of PQ and PP, while intramolecular transfer should either remain unaffected (for PQ) or weakened (for PP).