Chiral molecular assemblies from a novel achiral amphiphilic 2-(heptadecyl) naphtha[2,3]imidazole through interfacial coordination

A novel amphiphilic compound 2-(heptadecyl) naphtha[2,3]imidazole (NpImC17) was synthesized, and its coordination with AgNO3 in situ in the monolayer at the air/water interface and ex situ in the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film on solid substrate has been investigated. It has been found that interfacial coordination between NpImC17 and Ag(I) ion occurred both in the monolayer and in the LB film. It is interesting to note that the Ag(I)-coordinated ultrathin film became chiral although the ligand itself is achiral. It was suggested that the chirality of the Ag(I)-coordinated LB film was developed due to the formation of a helical coordination polymer through the interfacial coordination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the formation of chiral monolayer and LB films from an achiral molecule through interfacial coordination.