INTERESTING CONFORMATIONAL AND SUBSTITUTIONAL DISORDER IN THE CRYSTAL-STRUCTURES OF 3 HOMOLOGOUS CROWNS

The structures of three members of a homologous family of diphenylamin e-containing crowns, 2-chloro-6,7,9, -dibenzo[b,k][1,4,7,10]-monoazatr ioxacyclododecine (NAI), 2-chloro-6,7,9,10, o[b,n][1,4,7,10,13]monoaza tetraoxacyclopentadecine (NAII), ,q][1,4,7,10,13,16]monoazapentaoxacyc looctadecine] (NAIII), are reported, compared and trends are establish ed. The largest crown (an 18-crown-6-type) presents an ability to form a molecular compound with water molecules spontaneously. The propelle r-like conformational behaviour of the two phenyl rings leads to the p resence of two chiral conformers in the unit cell of the crystals. Add itionally, due to the conformationally non-equivalent role of the two phenyl rings, the chlorine substitution leads to two further species, resulting in four different conformers in each crystal structure. The presence of so many species in one crystal generates an interesting ty pe of disorder in two of the three cases.