Calixarene-based mol­ecular capsule from olefin metathesis

The reaction of tetra­kis­(all­yloxy)calix[4]arene with the first-generation Grubbs catalyst, followed by catalytic hydrogenation, gave the novel bis-calixarene 15,20,46,51,64,69,74,79-octa­oxatridecacyclo[32.28.8.8^3,28.1^13,53.1^22,44.0^9,14.0^21,26.0^38,70.0^40,45.0^52,57.0^59,63.0^7,80.0^32,73]octa­conta-1(63),3,5,7(80),9(14),10,12,21,23,25,28(73),29,31,34,36,38(70),40,42,44,52,54,56,59,61-tetra­cosa­ene benzene monosolvate, C₇₂H₇₂O₈·C₆H₆. The structure consists of two calix[4]arene units connected by four-carbon chains at each of the four O atoms on their narrow rims, to form a cage. Each of the calix[4]arene units has a flattened cone conformation in which two of the opposite aryl groups are closer together and nearly parallel [dihedral angle between planes = 7.35 (16)°], and the other two aryl groups are splayed outward [dihedral angle between planes = 72.20 (8)°]. While the cavity contains no solvent or other guest mol­ecule, there is benzene solvent mol­ecule in the lattice. Two of the alkyl linking arms were disordered over two conformations with occupancies of 0.582 (3)/0.418 (3) and 0.33 (4)/0.467 (4). They were constrained to have similar metrical and thermal parameters.