Distinct chiral units from an axially prochiral ligand in a photoluminescent zinc(II)–organic complex

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, poly(dimethylamine‐κN)μ₃‐(E)‐2,6‐dimethyl‐4‐styrylpyridine‐3,5‐dicarboxylato‐κ³O³:O^3′:O⁵]zinc(II)], Zn(C₁₇H₁₃NO₄)(C₂H₇N)]_n, consists of one crystallographically independent distorted tetrahedral Zn^II cation, one (E)‐2,6‐dimethyl‐4‐styrylpyridine‐3,5‐dicarboxylate (mspda²⁻) ligand and one coordinated dimethylamine molecule. Two S‐ and R‐type chiral units are generated from the axially prochiral mspda²⁻ ligand through C—H...O hydrogen bonds. The R‐type chiral units assemble a left‐handed (M) Zn–mspda helical chain, while the right‐handed (P) Zn–mspda helical chain is constructed from neighbouring S‐type chiral units. The P‐ and M‐type helical chains are interlinked by carboxylate O atoms to form a one‐dimensional ladder. Interchain N—H...O hydrogen bonds extend these one‐dimensional ladders into a two‐dimensional supramolecular architecture. The title compound exhibits luminescence at λ_max = 432 nm upon excitation at 365 nm.