Dissymmetry of an exogenous bridging ligand facilitates the assembly of a ferromagnetic and chiral [CuIINiII] complex.

A dissymmetric exogenous bridging ligand provides access to a heterometallic [NiIICuII] complex held together by a symmetric compartmental ligand; the complex is chiral and, as a result of ferromagnetic coupling, it exhibits an S=3/2 spin ground state, the EPR of which has been simulated.