A chiral, low-cytotoxic [Ni15]-wheel complex.

A new chiral [Ni15] complex with a Schiff-base ligand derived from o-vanillin and L-glutamic acid is presented, emphasizing the properties relevant for biology and materials science. The formation of the complex molecules in solution is confirmed by AFM and dynamic light scattering studies. The compound is weakly antiferromagnetic with considerable admixture of excited states, comprising negligibly interacting [Ni3] units. Studies of the interactions with two cell lines indicate low cytotoxicity.