1-D Selenidoindates {[In2Se5]}∞ Directed by Chiral Metal Complex Cations of 1,10-Phenanthroline

Two 1-D selenidoindates {[M(phen)3]In2Se5·H2O}n (M = Ni, Fe) were synthesized by a solvothermal method. The 1-D {[In2Se5]2–}n anion is a new type of single 1-D structure constituted by an alternately fused four-membered In2Se2 ring and five-membered In2Se3 ring. The chalcogenoindates were separated as mechanical racemic mixtures of single enantiomer crystals, in which the R-helix of 1-D InSe anion is directed by the related clockwise (Δ) cations of [M(phen)3]2+ or the L-helix of 1-D anion is directed by the related anticlockwise (Λ) cation. The π···π, C···Se, and C–H···Se oriented interactions of metal complex cations with selenidoindate anions play an important role in the formation of the chiral crystals. The embedded [M(phen)3]2+ cations improve the optical absorption of the 1-D semiconductor materials.