Solvent Triggering between Conformational States in Amphiphilic Shape-Persistent Macrocycles

The amphiphilic shape-persistent macrocycle 1 containing four phenol-OH groups as polar side
groups and four hexyloxy groups as nonpolar side groups in an adaptable arrangement was recrystallized
from solvents of different polarity. X-ray crystallography reveals that the conformation of the macrocycle is
solvent dependent such that in the pyridine solvate only two of the nonpolar side groups point outward
while in the THF solvate all four of them point outward. Moreover, in the latter case the three-dimensional
packing leads to the formation of a supramolecular channel structure with a large pore size.