Redox and crystal packing chemistry of transition metal helicates

• Research unit: COST
• Project number: C07.0041

Key words (English)

Supramolecular chemistry; chirality; coordination chemistry; transition metal chemistry; kinetics

Research programs (English)

COST-Action D31 - Organising Non-Covalent Chemical Systems with Selected Functions

Short description (English)

The well-known self-assembled helicate complexes of transition metals will be functionalised in two ways: to introduce imidazole complexing moieties which allow the redox potentials to be tuned by deprotonation of the coordinated imidazole, and by the introduction of rigid aromatic groups which project from the core and amplify the intrinisic chirality of these systems with the object of enhancing the diastereoselectivity of crystallisation.

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise: Université de Genève Département Chimie minérale, analytique et appliquée Sciences II

Partners and International Organizations (English)

AT, BE, CH, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GR, HR, HU, IL, IT, LT, NL, NO, PL, PT, SE, SI, UK

Abstract (English)

This project has examined two aspects of helicate chemistry. In the first we have shown how the introduction of rigid 'propeller blades' to the ligand enhances the irregularity of the structure and modifies the interaction of the helicate with other chiral objects as shown in the crystal structure of a salt of the helicate. The second project has shown that a previously well established helicate system is unexpectedly labile, undergoing ligand exchange on a time scale of seconds. This suggests that helicate systems must be screened for dynamical stability before incorporation into functional systems. This has been realised by kinetic and equilibrium methods.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C07.0041