Structure elucidation of host-guest complexes of tartaric and malic acids by quasi-racemic crystallography.

Racemic on the outside, but not inside: Aromatic-foldamer hosts are enantiomers and as such prefer to co-crystallize even though the guests (e.g. L-tartaric acid, see picture) in each host are not present as enantiomers. This behavior allows a one-step structure elucidation of diastereomeric and quasi-racemic structures in the solid state.