Guest Control in the Self-Assembly of H-Shaped Host to Cyclopentanoid (5,₄³) Net

The H-shaped molecule 1,4-di[bis(4′-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]benzene (1a) and its octamethyl derivative (1b) crystallize in solvated and guest-free forms. CH3NO2 and CHCl3 solvents afforded the rare (5,43) net of contiguous pentagons in a two-dimensional (2D) sheet for 1a and 1b, respectively. The tetrahedral carbon centers are 3-connected nodes and hydrogen bonding OH groups are 4-center nodes of congruent cyclopentanoid rings. The first examples of pentagon layer tiling in a lattice inclusion host are reported.