Control of the microarchitecture of a double helix - Electrochemical synthesis and characterisation of a novel dinickel(II) helicate with different groove sizes

Self-assembly of nickel ions and the N-4 Schiff base H2PTs [H2PTs: N,N ' -bis(2-tosylaminobenzylidene)-1,3-diaminopropane] in an electrochemical cell leads to the novel neutral double-stranded dinuclear helicate [NiPTs](2). CH3CN (1). Complex 1 was fully characterised by elemental analysis, IR and EPR spectroscopy, FAB mass spectrometry, and magnetic measurements. The single X-ray crystal structure of 1 shows that both Ligands are asymmetrically positioned around the Ni-Ni axis, leading to a double-helical complex that presents a major and a minor groove.