Octakis[4-(2-phenylpropan-2-yl)phenylthio]naphthalene: a conformationally unique host allowing direct observation of a well-defined solid-state acetone conformation

Abstract

In its stoichiometric 1:1 clathrate with acetone, studied by X-ray diffraction at 123 K, the title host molecule possesses a unique abbbabbb conformation with six side-chain units anti-parallel to the other two; the guest acetone’s conformation exhibits non-crystallographic C₂ symmetry, and the observed lowering in symmetry from C_2v in the vapour is accompanied by a significant opening of the guest’s C–C–C angle, in accord with a key theoretical prediction in the literature (J. Chem. Phys., 1993, 98, 2754).