Phosphine gold(I) aryl acetylide complexes equipped with a central bis(urea) moiety form 1D hydrogen-bonded polymeric assemblies in solution that do not display any optical activity. Chiral co-assemblies are formed by simple addition of an enantiopure (metal-free) complementary monomer. Although exhibiting an intrinsically achiral linear geometry, the gold(I) aryl acetylide fragment is located in the chiral environment displayed by the hydrogen-bonded co-assemblies, as demonstrated by induced circular dichroism (ICD).
Keywords: gold complexes; induced circular dichroism; sergeants and soldiers; supramolecular chirality; supramolecular polymers.
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