Structures of 1∶1 inclusion complexes of cholic acid with fluoroethanols; Conformational analysis of fluoroethanols in the host cavity

The crystal structures of the inclusion complexes of cholic acid (CA) with 2-fluoroethanol (MFEtOH), 2,2-difluoroethanol (DFEtOH) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFEtOH) have been determined by X-ray crystallography, which demonstrates that the guest alcohols are accommodated inside the cavity provided by CA molecules in a similar manner to that for the ethanol molecule in the CA-ethanol inclusion complex. As distinct from the ethanol molecule, the methylene C atoms of the fluoroethanols are not disordered; instead, the substituted F atoms are statistically disordered. All the alcohols are hydrogen-bonded to the OH groups of CA. The X-ray study showed that 46% of MFEtOH adopt thetrans-trans conformer, which is different from the exclusively predominant conformer in the gas and liquid phases, i.e.,thegauche-trans conformer. The study also showed that the F atoms of DFEtOH are statistically disordered, suggesting the possibility that three conformers exist inside the cavity. Such disorder presumably occurs in order to fill the vacant space around the CH₂F and CHF₂ groups inside the cavity. By contrast, we could not observe any disorder of the F atoms of TFEtOH.Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82176 (31 pages).