Metal-Directed Formation of Molecular Helix, Cage, and Grid Using an Asymmetric Pyridine-Pyrazole Based Bis-Chelating Ligand and Properties

The present work reports the construction and self-assembly studies of molecular helix and polyhedral coordination cages using a pyridine-pyrazole based asymmetric ligand. Employment of different metals has resulted in different architectures ranging from a one-dimensional helical polymer, [2 × 2] grid to a pentanuclear cage. For all the structures, hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking were found to be instrumental in bringing additional stability to the polymeric networks. Furthermore, chirality and magnetic properties of cobalt and copper complexes have also been investigated.