The crystal structure of 1,3,5-tris[4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]benzene (1) has been investigated. Compound 1 represents a model of the repeating unit of the most typical polyphenylene, which contains 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzene rings (chain centers) and acetylenic groups (complex-forming and cross-linking centers) in the main chain. The acetylene groups of neighboring molecules have a tendency to close mutual arrangement, which is favorable for their topochemical interaction. However, the relative conformational rigidity of molecules 1 restricts not only the possibility of the optimal adjustment of the reactive sites of neighboring molecules to one another, but also hampers the close packing of molecules in the crystal, which contains channels filled by the solvent molecules (chloroform).