Putting Cocrystal Stoichiometry to Work: A Reactive Hydrogen-Bonded “Superassembly” Enables Nanoscale Enlargement of a Metal–Organic Rhomboid via a Solid-State Photocycloaddition

Enlargement of a self-assembled metal–organic rhomboid is achieved via the organic solid state. The solid-state synthesis of an elongated organic ligand was achieved by a template directed [2 + 2] photodimerization in a cocrystal. Initial cocrystals obtained of resorcinol template and reactant alkene afforded a 1:2 cocrystal with the alkene in a stacked yet photostable geometry. Cocrystallization performed in the presence of excess template resulted in a 3:2 cocrystal composed of novel discrete 10-component hydrogen-bonded “superassemblies” wherein the alkenes undergo a head-to-head [2 + 2] photodimerization. Isolation and reaction of elongated photoproduct with Cu(II) ions afforded a metal–organic rhomboid of nanoscale dimensions that hosts small molecules in the solid state as guests.