Construction of double-stranded metallosupramolecular polymers with a controlled helicity by combination of salt bridges and metal coordination

We describe the construction of the first double-stranded metallosupramolecular helical polymers. We designed and synthesized a supramolecular duplex comprised of complementary m-terphenyl-based strands bearing a chiral amidine or achiral carboxylic acid together with two pyridine groups at the four ends. Supramolecular polymerization of the duplex with cis-PtPh2(DMSO)2 in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane produced the double-stranded metallosupramolecular polymer with a controlled helicity of which the two complementary metallostrands are intertwined through the amidinium-carboxylate salt bridges. The structures and hydrodynamic dimensions of the metallosupramolecular polymers were characterized by 1H NMR, diffusion-ordered NMR, dynamic light scattering, absorption, and CD measurements. The polymeric structure was also visualized by atomic force microscopy.