Metal-assisted supramolecular self-assembly of a versatile Schiff base which tends to act as a helicand

Polynuclear neutral complexes were obtained by electrochemical reaction of metal anodes (such as cobalt, nickel, copper or zinc) with the hexadentate ligand, N,N′-bis(3-hydroxysalicylidene)-1,4-diaminobutane, H4L. This can act either as dianionic, being N2O2 mononucleating or ON+NO binucleating, or as tetraanionic, behaving as O2+N2O2+O2 tri-, tetra- or pentanucleating. Metal ions are held together by μ-phenoxo bridges that lead to the self-assembly of polynuclear complexes such as [Cu3(L)(H2L)]·2H2O and [Zn8(L)4(H2O)3]·H2O·1/4H3CN.