Two related lithium calixarene complexes, [p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene(OMe)(OH)2(OLi)](2).4MeCN and {p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene(OH)2(OLi)[OLi(NCMe)2]}(2).8MeCN, determined using synchrotron radiation.

The crystal structures of acetonitrile solvates of two related lithium calixarene complexes have been determined by low-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. Bis(mu-5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-26,28-dihydroxy-25-methoxy-27-oxidocalix[4]arene)dilithium(I) acetonitrile tetrasolvate, [Li2(C45H57O4)2].4C2H3N or [p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene(OMe)(OH)2(OLi)](2).4MeCN, (I), crystallizes with the complex across a centre of symmetry and with four molecules of unbound acetonitrile of crystallization per complex. Tetraacetonitrilebis(mu-5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-26,28-dihydroxy-25,27-dioxidocalix[4]arene)tetralithium(I) acetonitrile octasolvate, [Li4(C44H54O4)2(C2H3N)4].8C2H3N or {p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene(OH)2(OLi)[OLi(NCMe)2]}(2).8MeCN, (II), also crystallizes with the complex lying across a centre of symmetry and contains eight molecules of unbound acetonitrile per complex plus four more directly bound to two of the lithium ions, two on each ion. The cores of both complexes are partially supported by O-H...O hydrogen bonds. The methoxy methyl groups in (I) prevent the binding of any more than two Li+ ions, while the corresponding two O-atom sites in (II) bind an extra Li(+) ion each, making four in total. The calixarene cone adopts an undistorted cone conformation in (I), but an elliptical one in (II).