The interaction between the title compound, bis(coronand) 8, and the diarylmagnesium compounds Ph 2 Mg and (ptBuC 6 H 4 ) 2 Mg in diethyl ether leads to the formation of 1:2 complexes (9 and 10, respectively), irrespective of the initial ratio of the components. In [D 8 ]toluene, the three complex types can be discerned by 1 H NMR spectroscopy: double side-on (9a, 10a), side-on/rotaxane (9b, 10b), and, to a very minor extent, double rotaxane (9c, 10c). In the case of 10a and 10b, the temperature dependence showed that rotaxane formation is enthalpically favored at the expense of a more