Highly diastereoselective templated complexation of dipyrromethenes.

[reaction: see text] Bis(dipyrromethene)s with relatively long spacers (>5 atoms) form helical monomeric complexes as the two binding units of the bis(dipyrromethene) chelate around the same tetrahedrally coordinated metal ion. Herein we report the first highly diastereoselective mononuclear helicate-forming complexation reactions of bis(dipyrromethene)s using homochiral binol and tartrate motifs which serve as both linkers and asymmetric templates.