3- and 4-Methylcyclohexanone have been isolated exclusively as their energetically disfavoured axial conformers in the host–guest complexes formed upon recrystallization of the novel optically pure host compound, (+)-(2R,3R)-1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutane-1,2,3,4-tetraol (TETROL), from these cycloalkanones.