Spontaneous resolution, asymmetric catalysis, and fluorescence properties of δ- and λ-[cu(tzmp)]N enantiomers from in situ [2 + 3] cycloaddition synthesis.

Although a number of acentric or chiral tetrazole complexes were synthesized from Sharpless reaction, there are no spontaneous resolution Cu(I)-tetrazole compounds from in situ [2 + 3] cycloaddition synthesis that have been reported before. The first enantiomers Δ- and Λ- of metal tetrazole compound [Cu(Tzmp)]n (1) (HTzmp = 3-tetrazolemethylpyridine) were obtained and isolated from in situ [2 + 3] cycloaddition reactions of a flexible organic nitrile (3-cyanomethylpyridine) with sodium azide in the presence of CuCl2 as the Lewis acid. Δ-1 and Λ-1 feature a homochiral helical coordination polymeric system and {4(4).6(2)} two-dimensional framework. The photoluminescence study suggests 1 exhibits strong green fluorescence in solid state with maximal emission peaks around 535 nm. Remarkably, the Δ- and Λ- of [Cu(Tzmp)]n (1) catalyzes the enantioselective Henry reaction with high yield (more than 96%) and certain enantioselectivity (up to 69%).