Who can propose a tetradentate ligand with a -4 charge such that three of them chelate two Co(3+) to give a helicate complex as described below?
Uncle Al likes salts of chiral complex ions with geometrically (nearly) identical cations and anions. Example: Resolved [Co(en)3](3+) is almost exactly superposable upon [Co(ox)3](3-),
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/xions.png
stereoimages
to make the two mirror-image salts,
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/xsalt.png
stereoimages
One can get very clever and create helicates by linking bidentate ligands. Here we look at homochiral [Co(phen)3](3+) and [Co2(bisphen)3](6+)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/xheli.png
stereoimages
It obviously works for [Co(bipy)3](3+) and [Co2(bisbipy)3](6+), too. Now for the fun part! Who can propose a helicate ligand that will give isomorphous [Co2(ligand)3](6-)?
Don't be shy!
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Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz4.htm