Dimension-controlled assemblies of anion-responsive π-electronic systems bearing aryl substituents with fan-shaped geometries.

Pyrrole-4-aryl-substituted dipyrrolyldiketone BF2 complexes as anion-responsive pi-electronic molecules were synthesized via a 3,5-dimethylpyrrole precursor. Mesophases were observed in derivatives that possessed long alkyl chains on the pyrrole-4-aryl groups along with their anion complexes as ion-pairing assemblies in combination with appropriate cations.