An unusual three-dimensional homochiral metal saccharate based on inorganic helical chains

Abstract

Self-assembly of the D-saccharate (D-sacc) ligand and barium salt under hydrothermal conditions yields an unprecedented homochiral three-dimensional (3D) metal saccharate, namely, [Ba(D-sacc)]n (1), which is based on inorganic helical chains as infinite rod-shaped secondary building units (SBUs). The structure of compound 1 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and further characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectrum, and thermogravimetric analysis. Compound 1 exhibits a novel 3D chiral architecture containing multidirectional helical chains, which is still rare in metal–organic complexes, especially in metal aldarates. To the best of our knowledge, compound 1 represents the first example of alkaline-earth metal aldarates featuring chiral and helical structures. Furthermore, the photoluminescent property of compound 1 was investigated in the solid state at room temperature.