Chirality Transfer from Guest Chiral Metal Complexes to Inorganic Framework: The Role of Hydrogen Bonding

The structure elucidation of a new zinc phosphate [CoII(en)3][Zn4(H2PO4)3(HPO4)2(PO4)(2 H2O)2] (1) reveals that the racemic cobalt complex templates the zinc phosphate framework in such a way that the local C2 point symmetry of the structural motif of the inorganic framework conforms with that of the cobalt complex pairing with it, in essence transferring its chirality to the inorganic host. An analysis of hydrogen bonding between the guest molecules and the inorganic host framework reveals that hydrogen bonding is responsible for the stereospecific structural arrangement. Upon examining previously reported chiral metal‐complex‐templated structures of metal phosphates, it is revealed that such hydrogen bonding is the common origin for inducing chirality transfer in metal–phosphate frameworks templated with chiral metal complexes. Crystal data of 1: orthorhombic, Pbcn (no. 60), a=10.4787(8) Å, b=20.0091(14) Å, c=14.9594(10) Å, and Z=2. The structure elucidation of a new zinc phosphate [CoII(en)3][Zn4(H2PO4)3(HPO4)2(PO4)(H2O)2], as well as several chiral cobalt complex templated metal phosphates, reveals that the chiral complex template can transfer its chirality to the inorganic host. Hydrogen bonding is responsible for a stereo‐specificity between the template and the host. The picture shows the hydrogen bonds between the complex templates and nearby chiral structural motifs in [CoII(en)3][Zn4(H2PO4)3(HPO4)2(PO4)(H2O)2].