Chirality transfer in a cage controls the clockwise/anticlockwise propeller arrangement of the tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine ligand.

Predictable control of the propeller arrangement of the tris(2-pyridyl-methyl)amine (TPA) ligand was achieved through the preparation of the smallest hemicryptophane 1. This newly designed cage displays a chirality transfer from its northern unit to the TPA ligand. 1 can coordinate Cu(i), yielding a rare T-shaped complex with controlled helicity of the TPA-Cu(i) core.