In 2013, the Fujita group rediscovered that the molecular structure of liquids can be elucidated by X-ray crystallography in the presence of [(ZnI)(TPT)] crystalline sponges. The guest compounds, such as cyclohexanone, cinnamaldehyde were dropped onto the pre-made single crystal of crystalline sponges. The liquid samples would penetrate into the crystalline sponges, and occupy the sponges’ cavities. As crystalline sponges provide a well-organized structure, the guests in sponges’ cavities would also have organized distribution in the space. As a result, the structure of guest can be characterized by X-ray crystallography .
Some of the structures of liquid natural products which are difficult to differentiate by NMR spectroscopy can be easily characterized by crystalline sponges techniques. Elatenyne is a liquid molecule isolated from Laurencia elata, marine red algae. Due to its pseudo-C symmetry, the difference of NMR spectrum between elatenyne and its stereoisomer is hard to differentiate. However, with the crystalline sponges, the Fujita group easily elucidated the chirality in the elatenyne. 
Cycloelatanene A and B are a pair of diastereomers isolated from Laurencia elata. Both compounds are liquid, so the traditional X-ray diffraction analysis cannot elucidate their absolute chirality. After the crystalline sponges assisted X-ray crystallography, the Fujita group revised the chirality of C4 position reported by precedent NMR analysis.