Sterics and metal-ion radius control the self-assembly of [M 2 L 3 ] helicates.
Rashid G SiddiqueKasun S A ArachchigeHydar A Al-FayaadJohn C McMurtrieJack Kay CleggPublished in: Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003) (2022)
The interplay of many factors influences the outcomes of self-assembly reactions. Using an acetylene-appended quaterpyridine ligand we show that both the size of the metal ion and the presence of steric repulsion between the acetylene groups result in the exclusive formation of [M 2 L 3 ] helicates rather than a helicate/tetrahedron equilibrium.