Chiral expression from molecular to macroscopic level via pH modulation in terbium coordination polymers.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29242533.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-017-02260-2 and PMC identifier 5730601.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Chiral expression from the molecular to macroscopic level is common in biological systems, but is difficult to realise for coordination polymers (CPs). The assembly of homochiral CPs in both crystalline and helical forms can provide a bridge for understanding the relationship between the molecular and macroscopic scales of chirality. Herein, we report homochiral helices of [Tb(R- or S-pempH)<sub>3</sub>]∙2H<sub>2</sub>O (R - or S -1) (pempH<sub>2</sub> = (1-phenylethylamino)methylphosphonic acid) and their crystalline counterparts (R - or S -3), which are formed at different pH of the reaction mixtures under hydrothermal conditions. By combining the experiments and molecular simulations, we propose that the formation of helices of R -1 or S -1 occurs via a hierarchical self-assembly route, which involves twisted packing due to the geometric incompatibility of the different types of chains. The observed chiral transcription from molecules to morphologies is significant for understanding bio-related self-assembly processes on the nano- to macro-scale.