The synthesis and characterization of two water-soluble silver(I) complexes {[Ag(R-Hpyrrld)]2}n1 and {[Ag2(R-Hpyrrld)(S-Hpyrrld)]}n2 [R- and S-H2pyrrld = (R)-(+)- and (S)-(−)-2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid, respectively] showing wide ranging effective antimicrobial activity are described and their crystal structures determined. Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that 1 and 2 in the solid state are a right-handed chiral helical polymer and an achiral polymer sheet, respectively, formed by self-assembly of the Ag2(carboxylato-O,O′)2 units [Ag–Ag 2.899(2) Å for 1 and 2.875(2) Å for 2; O–Ag–O 160.3(5), 163.2(5)° for 1 and 163.1(2)° for 2]. The helicity of 1 in the solid state was accomplished by connection of only one oxo group in one dimeric core to one of the silver(I) centers of the adjacent dimeric unit. It is elucidated that the chiral helical polymer 1 is a mirror image of the recently characterized enantiomer {[Ag(S-Hpyrrld)]2}n3. The bonding modes of 1 and 3 are quite different from those of the achiral polymer sheet 2. Complexes 1 and 2 have been also characterized by elemental analysis, TG/DTA, FT-IR, and solution (1H and 13C) and solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopies. The wide ranging effective antimicrobial activities observed in the complexes suggest that weak silver(I)–oxygen bonding properties play a key role.
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