Three configurationally homogeneous diastereomers of the linear hexa(tertiary phosphine) Ph 2PCH2CH2P(Ph)CH2CH2P(Ph)CH2CH2P-(Ph)CH 2CH2P(Ph)CH2CH2PPh2 (hexaphos) have been isolated in enantiomerically pure form, namely (R,S,S,R)-, (R,S,S,S)-, and (S,S,S,S)-hexaphos. The strongly helicating (R,S,S,R)-(؊) form of the ligand combines with copper(I) ions to generate by stereoselective selfassembly the P enantiomer of a parallel helicate of the type [Cu 3(hexaphos)2](PF6)3, which has been characterized by x-ray crystallography. Theoretical modeling of the cation indicates that it is the relationship between the helicities of the two 10-membered rings containing the three copper ions, each of which has the twist-boat-chair-boat conformation, and the configurations of the three chiral, tetrahedral copper stereocenters of P configuration that determines the stereochemistry of the parallel and double ␣-helix conformers of the double-stranded trinuclear metal helicate. T he synthesis of complex, hierarchical molecular architectures containing two or more metal ions by self-assembly under equilibrium conditions is an important technique in coordination chemistry. For example, oligo-2,2Ј-bipyridines and related ligands combine with kinetically labile copper(I) or silver(I) ions to give solutions of stable, di-and oligo-nuclear metal helicates, grids, metallocatenanes, rotaxanes, and knots, depending on the rigidity of the spacer groups between the chelating entities (1-3). The simplest approach to the self-assembly of a particular structural motif is by the astute and selective use of rigidity in the design of the ligand (3). This approach applies also to the construction of molecular polygons and polyhedra from rigid, angular metal chelate components, such as [Pt(PEt 3 ) 2 ] 2ϩ , which can form the corners and apices of large two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures (4).More subtle considerations apply to the thermodynamic selfassembly of polynuclear metal chelates derived from fully flexible ligands. Techniques available include mismatching the binding preferences of the ligand and metal to give a particular assembly (2), and the selective formation of stable chelate rings. Chiral elements within a ligand can also dramatically affect the stability of a particular diastereomer of a supramolecular chelate assembly. For example, freely f lexible ligands of the type LOLЈOLЈOL can generate chiral and achiral diastereomers of dinuclear metal complexes of the type M 2 (LOLЈOLЈOL) 2 , chiral at the tetrahedral metal stereocenters M(LOLЈ) 2 . The relationship between the configurational elements at donor and metal and the helicities of the metal chelate ring conformers will determine the stability of a particular stereoisomer of the complex.In previous work, we have used these techniques for the stereoselective synthesis of dinuclear metal helicates from a flexible linear tetra(tertiary phosphine) (5) and an analogous hybrid phosphine-arsine (6), with univalent Group 11 ions. These ions form stable, but labile, tetrahedral...