Abinash Swain, Jordi Martínez, Olivier Roubeau, Michał Antkowiak, Talal Mallah, Valentin Novikov, Yulia Nelyubina, Leoní A Barrios, Guillem Aromí
A remarkable template effect exerted by the SiF62- anion directs the self-assembly of a rare heteroleptic triple-stranded helicate, (SiF6@[Ni2(L1)(L2)2])2+, and of the unprecedented tetranuclear architecture ((SiF6)2@[Ni4(L1)6])4+ (L1 and L2 are bis(pyrazolyl)pyridine ligands). Guest symmetry, reinforced by highly directional F⋯H-N hydrogen bonds, dictates the composition and topology of the resulting supramolecular assemblies.