Variation of Activation Volume as an Indicator of the Difference in Clusterization Phenomenon Induced by H-Bonding and F−Π Stacking Interactions in Enantiomers and a Racemate of Flurbiprofen

In this paper, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), broadband dielectric (BDS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum chemical computations were applied to investigate the structural and thermal properties, molecular dynamics, and H-bonding pattern of R-, S-, and RS-flurbiprofen (FLP). Experimental data indicated various spatial molecular arrangements in crystalline forms of examined systems, which seemed to disappear in the liquid state. Surprisingly, deeper analysis of high-pressure dielectric data revealed unexpected variation in the activation volume of pure enantiomers and a racemate. MD simulations showed that it is an effect of the clusterization phenomenon and a higher population of small associates in the former samples. Moreover, theoretical consideration exposed the particular role of unspecific F−Π interactions as a driving force underlying local molecular arrangements of molecules in the liquid and the crystal lattice of R-, S-, and RS-FLP.