Metallohosts with a heart of carbon

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies have confirmed that Ni(3)S(3)-based molecular bowls prepared in one-pot reactions capture either CH(2)Cl(2) or C(60). The nature of the pendant substituents (naphthalen-2-ylmethyl, benzyl, or ethyl) around the rim of the bowl dictates the formation of a 1:1 (bowl host-C(60) guest) or 2:1 (capsule host-C(60) guest) architecture. In CDCl(3), the trimeric complexes were found to be in equilibrium with dimeric analogues. For the naphthalen-2-ylmethyl-substituted host, NMR spectroscopic titration data confirmed a 1:1 host-C(60) guest complex in 1,2-Cl(2)C(6)D(4) solution.