Extending substrate sensing capabilities of zinc tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based stereodynamic probe.

Tripodal metal complexes have been widely used for catalysis and more recently also for molecular recognition applications. Their ability in recognition and signal amplification of chiral substrates is because of the setup of the ligand around the metal in a propeller shape. Within this subject, we have recently reported tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine- and triphenolamine-based complexes for the determination of the enantiomeric excess of various substrates. Herein, we show the versatility of the zinc tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based stereodynamic probe by performing a detailed study of the imine formation process, by the extension of the sensing capabilities to other chiral compounds. A principal component analysis study of the system together with TD-DFT studies highlights the molecular origin of the observed chiroptical properties.