Systematic study of the synthesis and coordination of 2-(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-pyridine to Fe(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II); ion-induced folding into helicates, mesocates and larger architectures, and application to magnetism and self-selection.

With its facile synthesis, the pyridine-1,2,3-triazole chelate is an attractive building block for coordination-driven self-assembly. When two such chelates are bridged by a spacer and exposed to cations of octahedral geometrical preference, they generally self-assemble into dinuclear triple-stranded structures in the solid state and in solution in the presence of non-coordinating counter-ions. In solution, a wider range of architectures may nevertheless form, depending on the nature of the spacer. A systematic study of the spacer and substitution pattern is therefore presented, which allows assessing the various factors affecting self-assembly around the pyridine-1,2,3-triazole chelate, as well as the stereochemical control in these architectures. Applications to chirality, magnetism and system selection are discussed, and involve Fe(ii), Ni(ii), Zn(ii) and Cu(i) cations.