Molecular determinants of a new family of helical tubuland host diols

The alicyclic diols (1–5) constitute the first members of a family of novel helical tubuland hosts crystallising in space group P3₁21 but possessing quite different canal shapes and dimensions. Consideration of their structural data has revealed two distinct sub-classes of these materials. The molecular features necessary for a diol to crystallise with the helical tubuland structure are defined and discussed.