Anionic Templates Drive Conversion between a Zn II 9 L 6 Tricapped Trigonal Prism and Zn II 6 L 4 Pseudo-Octahedra.

This work introduces the use of 8-aminoquinoline subcomponents to generate complex three-dimensional structures. Together with a tris(formylpyridine), 8-aminoquinoline condensed around Zn II templates to produce a tris(tridentate) ligand. This ligand is incorporated into either a tricapped trigonal prismatic Zn II 9 L 6 structure or a pair of pseudo-octahedral Zn II 6 L 4 diastereomers, with S 4 and D 2 symmetries. Introduction of a methyl group onto the aminoquinoline modulated the coordination sphere of Zn II , which favored the Zn II 9 L 6 structure and disfavored the Zn II 6 L 4 assembly. The tricapped trigonal prismatic Zn II 9 L 6 architecture converted into a single Zn II 6 L 4 cage diastereomer following the addition of a dianionic 4,4'-dinitrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate guest. Four of these guests clustered tightly at the four windows of the Zn II 6 L 4 cage, held in place through electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, stabilize a single diastereomeric configuration with S 4 symmetry.