LAUSR

Two ferrocene–dipeptide conjugates, Fc(l-Ala−l-Pro−PyO)2 (2) and Fc(l-Ala−l-Pro−PyO)1 (3), were synthesized by the introduction of an l-Ala−l-Pro dipeptide that contained a C-terminal pyridine N-oxide moiety into the ferrocene organometallic scaffold. Single-crystal X-ray structure determination of ferrocene–dipeptide conjugate 2, which was composed of two dipeptide chains, confirmed the formation of intramolecular antiparallel β-sheet-like hydrogen bonds between the CO (Ala) and NH (Ala of another chain) groups to induce a chirality-organized structure in which the ferrocenoyl moiety adopted a P-helical chirality. In the crystal packing of compound 2, the peptide chains adopted a right-handed molecular arrangement through hydrogen-bonding interactions. On the contrary, ferrocene–dipeptide conjugate 3, which was composed of only one dipeptide chain, self-assembled into a tetramer structure through the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions between pyridine N-oxide moieties.