An enantiomerically pure BINOL-based bis(3-pyridyl) ligand 1 assembles into a homochiral [Pd4(1)8] complex upon coordination to tetravalent Pd(II) ions. The formation of this aggregate is templated by two tetrafluoroborate counterions that are encapsulated in two peripheral cavities. The resulting structure is a new structural motif for this kind of metallosupramolecular assemblies that arranges the palladium ions in a distorted tetrahedral fashion and forces ligand 1 to adopt two different conformations. Both phenomena are unique and cause an overall three-dimensional structure that has another confined, chiral, and hydrophilic central cavity.
Keywords: metallosupramolecular chemistry; palladium complexes; self-assembly; template effects; tetrafluoroborate.
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