Origin of chromic effects and crystal-to-crystal phase transition in the polymorphs of tyraminium violurate

Chromic materials are nowadays widely used in various technological applications, however understanding the effect and the possibility of tuning the obtained colour of a material are still challenging. Here a combined experimental and theoretical study is presented on the solvatochromic and crystallochromic effects in the (pseudo)polymorphs of tyraminium violurate. This organic material exhibits a large solvatochromic shift (ca 192 nm) associated with broad colour change (from yellow to dark violet). Tyraminum violurate crystallizes as red crystals of form (I) from water as a solvate, and as an unsolvated form [violet crystals of (II)] from methanol solution. Form (I), when heated, undergoes two crystal-to-crystal phase transformations associated with colour change of the crystals. Crystals of (II) show extreme birefringence (ca 0.46) and high refractive index (nγ above 1.90), which can be correlated with preferential orientation of the resultant dipole moments of the ions. Examination of optical effects (UV–Vis spectra) along with theoretical calculations (QTAIM, atomic and bond polarizabilities) enabled the description of the origin of colour in the studied materials.