Helical binuclear CoII complexes of pyriporphyrin analogue for sensing homochiral carboxylic acids

A hybrid macrocycle composed of two bipyridines and two dipyrrins gave biscobalt complexes of figure eight macrocycle conformation with κ2-carboxylate ligands and water ligands at the axial sites. The axial acetate ligands of the biscobalt complex are readily exchanged with carboxylates of α-hydroxyl acids and α-amino acids. The chiral center of the axial carboxylate ligands controls the helical handedness of the macrocycle as evidenced by a typical CD couplet at 550 nm. The substitution labile nature of the biscobalt complex plays a key role for helical chirality induction on the macrocycle upon co-ordination of chiral carboxylate anions.