Title
Giant single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations associated with chiral interconversion induced by elimination of chelating ligands
Author
Yun Li, Jin-Peng Xue, Jing Xie, Zi-Shuo-Yao & Jun Tao
Year
2021
Journal
Nature Communications
Abstract
Numerous single crystals that exhibit single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformations have been reported, and some of them show great promise for application to advanced adsorption materials, magnetic switches, and smart actuators. However, the development of single crystals with super-adaptive crystal lattices capable of huge and reversible structural change remains a great challenge. In this study, we report a ZnII complex that undergoes giant SCSC transformation induced by a two-step thermal elimination of ethylene glycol chelating ligands. Although the structural change is exceptionally large (50% volume shrinkage and 36% weight loss), the single-crystal nature of the complex persists because of the multiple strong hydrogen bonds between the constituent molecules. This allows the reversible zero-dimensional to one-dimension and further to three-dimensional structural changes to be fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The elimination of chelating ligands induces a chiral interconversion in the molecules that manifests as a centric-chiral-polar symmetric variation of the single crystal. The study not only presents a unique material, featuring both a periodic crystal lattice and gel-like super-ductility, but also reveals a possible solid-state reaction method for preparing chiral compounds via the elimination of chelating ligands.
Full Article
Instrument
J-810
Keywords
crystal lattices, structural change, chiral