A series of 1,1 0 -binaphthalene-2,2 0 -diyl phosphate (BNPPA À ) salts have been synthesized. Their crystal packings show a separation of the hydrophobic naphthyl and hydrophilic (RO) 2 PO 2 À phosphate/cation/solvate regions. Hydrogen bonding in the latter is the driving force for ''inverse bilayer'' formation, with a hydrophilic interior exposing the hydrophobic binaphthyl groups to the exterior. Stacking of the inverse bilayers occurs less through p-p and more through CHÁ Á Áp interactions between the naphthyl groups, which correlates with the formation of thin crystal plates along the stacking direction. Cations used with R-or rac-BNPPA À are protonated isonicotin-1-ium amide (1), isonicotin-1-ium acid (2), guanidinium (3), the metal complexes transtetraammine-dimethanol-copper(II) (4), trans-diaqua-tetramethanol-copper(II) (5) and cis-diaquabis(ethylene diamine)-nickel(II) (6). Crystallization occurs with inclusion of water and methanol solvent molecules, except in 2. Starting from R-BNPPA, inversion takes place with calcium acetate to give 1 as the racemate. 2 is crystallized as the R-BNPPA salt. The inversionsymmetrical complex trans-[Cu(H 2 O) 2 (CH 3 OH) 4 ] 21 in 5 has Cu-OH 2 bond lengths of 1.937(4) A ˚, and Cu-O(methanol) of 2.112(4) and 2.167(4) A ˚, corresponding to a compressed tetragonal geometry.Scheme 1 Molecules with a polar head (J) and a non-polar tail (Q) can spontaneously form (a) monolayers, (b) micelles, (c) bilayers and (d) liposome vesicles.