Infinite chiral single-helical structures formed by the self-assembly of Cu(II)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)-aspartate complexes

Two crystal structures of [Cu(L-pasp)(H2O)] center dot 4H(2)O and [Cu(D-pasp)( H2O)] center dot 4H(2)O [pasp = N-(2-pyridylmethyl)-aspartate] were determined using X-ray crystallography and the Cu(II)-pasp complexes were demonstrated to self-assemble through the formation of a Cu-O bond between Cu(II) and the side-chain carboxylate, forming left-handed and right-handed helical coordination polymers, respectively.