Unexpected formation of chiral single crystals of {NH(n-C3H7)3[MnIICrIII(C2O4)3]}, a 2D oxalate-based material

In an attempt to obtain chiral single crystals of a two-dimensional (2D) bimetallic oxalate-based material by enantioselective auto-assembling of Mn2+ and (rac)-[Cr(C2O4)(3)](3-) templated by the optically active complex (+)-(Rp)-[1-CH2(n-C3H7)(3)-2-CH3(C5H3)Fe(C5H5)](+), we obtained the unexpected 2D network species {NH(n-C3H7)(3)[MnCr(C2O4)(3)]}. X-ray diffraction determination of the structure reveals that the complex crystallizes in the enantiomorphous space group P6(3). The interlayer spacing of 7.93 Angstrom is the lowest found so far for 2D, bimetallic, oxalate-bridged compounds.