Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 1,2-bis(2 ',6 '-dilsopropoxy-[2,3 '-bipyridin]-6-yl)-benzene

The title molecule, C38H42N4O4, displays a helical structure induced by the combination of the C- C- C-C torsion angle [-10.8 (2)degrees] between two 2,3'-bipyridyl units attached to the 1,2-positions of the central benzene ring and consecutive connections between five aromatic rings through the meta- and ortho-positions. Intramolecular C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions between an H atom of a pyridine ring and the centroid of a another pyridine ring contributes to the stabilization of the helical structure. In the crystal, weak C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions link the title molecules into a two-dimensional supramolecular network extending parallel to the ac plane, in which the molecules with right- and lefthanded helical structures are alternately arranged. Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots indicate that the molecular packing is dominated by van der Waals interactions between neighbouring H atoms, as well as by C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions. One isopropoxyl group is disordered over two sets of sites [occupancy ratio 0.715 (5):0.285 (5)].