Crystal supramolecularity: hexagonal arrays of sextuple phenyl embraces amongst chemically diverse compounds

摘要

The sextuple phenyl embrace (SPE) occurs widely between molecules with XR3 (R = aryl) moieties, and has at least quasi-three-fold symmetry. The SPE can have exact 3 symmetry, and therefore can be aligned with the principal axis of trigonal crystal lattices. Using the Cambridge Structural Database we report that this does occur in the crystals of a chemically diverse set of compounds, ranging from P(C6H4Me-4)(3) and Ph3CCO2H, through salts such as [Ph3PH+](2)[Ga2Cl6](2-) and [Ph3PMe+](2)[Cu4I6](2-), small molecules such as Ph3PAlMe3 and Ph3POs(CO)(3)PPh3, to larger molecules such as Ph3SiOTiN(CH2CH2O)(3) and Ph3PCu(mu-SPh)(3)U(mu-SPh)(3)-CuPPh3(thf)(6) (thf = tetrahydrofuran). The XR3 moieties and the SPEs occur in hexagonal nets, and this generic crystal structure type (in space groups , , R(3) over barc