Photoinduced bending of rod-like millimetre-size crystals of a rhodium dithionite complex with n-pentyl moieties.

Rod-like millimetre-size crystals of a newly prepared rhodium dithionite complex with n-pentyl moieties bend upon photoirradiation and return to the initial shape upon heating; the roles of the flexible n-pentyl moieties as well as the photoreactive dithionite unit (µ-O2SSO2) are disclosed by single crystal X-ray diffraction.