Microscale hexagonal rods of a charge-assisted second-sphere coordination compound [Co(DABP)3][Fe(CN)6].

A second-sphere complex [Co(DABP)(3)][Fe(CN)(6)] (1) (DABP = 5,5'-diamino-2,2'-bipyridine) is constructed from [Co(DABP)(3)](3+) and [Fe(CN)(6)](3-) through charge-assisted N-H((NH(2)))N((CN)) hydrogen bonds; hexagonal microrods of 1 are obtained via a facile self-assembly method in the presence of surfactant.

Full- or half-encapsulation of sulfate anion by a tris(3-pyridylurea) receptor: effect of the secondary coordination sphere.

Self-assembly of the [Fe(DABP)(3)]SO(4) (DABP = 5,5'-diamino-2,2'-bipyridine) or [Fe(bipy)(3)]SO(4) (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine) complex with a tripodal tris(3-pyridylurea) ligand (L) results in a layered structure that includes a sulfate anion in the cleft of one L molecule. The two compounds, [Fe(DABP)(3)][SO(4) L] x 10 H(2)O (2) and [Fe(bipy)(3)][SO(4) L] x 9 H(2)O (3), show very similar sheets formed by the anionic units [SO(4) L](2-) and cationic building blocks ([Fe(DABP)(3)](2+) or [Fe(bipy)(3)](2+)). However, there are different water clusters that link the adjacent layers in the two products, that is, water parallelograms and quasi "water cubes" in 2 versus single water molecules, water dimers, and hexamers in 3.