The dynamic-coupling basis of the conformational optical activity of chelated metal complexes

Abstract

The absolute configuration of (–)-stilbene diamine is shown to be (R,R), and the c.d. spectra of the cobalt(III) complexes with this ligand are found to support the dynamic-coupling or polarisability mechanism for the conformational optical activity due to chirally-puckered chelate rings in metal complexes, but not the static field mechanism in which that optical activity arises from the charges of the ligand atoms.