Large, non-symmetrical, inherently chiral bispyridyl ligand L derived from natural ursodeoxycholic bile acid was used for square-planar coordination of tetravalent Pd(II) , yielding the cationic single enantiomer of superchiral coordination complex 1 Pd3 L6 containing 60 well-defined chiral centers in its flower-like structure. Complex 1 can readily be transformed by addition of chloride into a smaller enantiomerically pure cyclic trimer 2 Pd3 L3 Cl6 containing 30 chiral centers. This transformation is reversible and can be restored by the addition of silver cations. Furthermore, a mixture of two constitutional isomers of trimer, 2 and 2', and dimer, 3 and 3', can be obtained directly from L by its coordination to trans- or cis-N-pyridyl-coordinating Pd(II) . These intriguing, water-resistant, stable supramolecular assemblies have been thoroughly described by (1) H DOSY NMR, mass spectrometry, circular dichroism, molecular modelling, and drift tube ion-mobility mass spectrometry.
Keywords: bile acid; chirality; metallocycle; self-assembly; supramolecular chemistry.
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