Simple tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN) based tripodal urea receptors are investigated for the encapsulation of divalent oxalate (C2O42−) in a semi-aqueous medium. A single crystal X-ray diffraction study shows that the receptor with 3-cyanophenyl functionality captures a staggered conformer whereas the 3-fluorophenyl functionalized receptor encapsulates a less stable planar conformer.
