Nesting inclusion compounds. The X-ray structure of the 15-crown-5 sodium diphenylethyl diphenylmethyl cyanoacetonate complex

The action of sodium cyanide ongem -diphenyl-chloropropanone under phase transfer conditions in the presence of 15-crown-5 yields the title compound as a minor product. The crystal structure of this complex reveals that, in the solid state, the 15-crown-5-Na⁺] guest species is found within a loose cage of diphenylethyl diphenyl cyanoacetonate molecules with one open side of the cage blocked by an adjacent 15-crown-5 molecule. Colourless crystals of the compound belong to the monoclinic space groupP21/n witha = 12,255(2) Å,b = 13,005(1) Å,c = 23,433(2) Å, = 95,92(1) ° andD _c = 1.23 g cm^–3 forZ = 4.