Previously unknown diaryl esters of l-tartaric acid have been synthesized. Their conformations have been studied by DFT calculations, NMR and circular dichroism spectroscopy in solution, as well as by X-ray diffraction in the crystalline state. The four-carbon tartrate chain of diaryl esters was found to be extended in all cases, with a higher degree of nonplanarity in the crystals. Dinaphthyl tartrates