Observation of a quasi-one-dimensional water aggregate in a supramolecular organic host

A quasi-one-dimensional water aggregate confined in an organic host of bis(3-pyrazinylcarbonylaminopropyl)amine (BPA) was determined by X-ray diffraction. This water aggregate is constructed from layers of boat-shaped eight-membered subunits, each of which consist of two fused five-membered water rings with envelope conformations. Only weak intermolecular hydrogen bonded interactions exist among the host molecules as well as between host and guest molecules, so that the enclosed water aggregates might be reminiscent of the solvation sphere in solution.