Abstract A diverse range of dinuclear double-stranded helicates in which the ligand strand is built up by using hydrogen-bonding has been synthesized. The helicates, formulated as [Co 2 (L) 2 (LH) 2 X 2], readily self-assemble from a mixture of a suitable pyridine–alcohol compound (L; for example, 6-methylpyridine-2-methanol, 1), and a CoX 2 salt in the presence of base. Nine such helicates have been characterized by X-ray crystallography. ...
