Crystal structure analysis of meta-tolylurea, a flexible bitter compound

A good class of flexible tastants is represented by tolylureas both because of their limited flexibility and because of the sharp dependence of tasye on isomerism. The p-isomer is sweet, the m-isomer is bitter, the o-isomer is tasteless. In order to fully characterize the conformational behaviour of these compounds it is useful a good knowledge of molecular parameters. Accordingly, a study of the crystal structure of m-tolylurea is reported.