Crystalline Inclusion of Wheel-and-Axle Diol Hosts Featuring Benzo[b]thiophene Units as a Lateral Construction Element

By applying the "wheel-and-axle" host concept and incorporating a previously developed heteroaromatic substitution strategy, a new type of diol host featuring two di(benzo[b]thien-2-yl)hydroxymethyl units attached to both ends of a central ethynylene (3) and 1,4-phenylene (4) moiety is reported. The syntheses of the host compounds are described, and solvent inclusion formation via crystallization has extensively been studied showing a remarkable inclusion capability of the compounds. X-ray diffraction analysis of relevant crystal structures have been performed and comparatively discussed. Vapor sorption behavior of the compounds as solid receptor films coated on a quartz crystal microbalance considering a variety of solvent vapors has been scrutinized, indicating potential application as mass sensitive materials.