Abstract Small hydrocarbon cyclophanes, such as [2.2. 0] m, m, m-cyclophane (20) and [2.2. 0] p, m, m-cyclophane (21), are strained analogues of the well-known π-prismand [2.2. 2] p, p, p-cyclophane (1). The synthetic route to these molecules is based on well-established cyclophane methodology which offers a general access to a whole family of hydrocarbon cyclophanes. Single crystal X-ray analysis and molecular modelling showed that the ...