Chiral packing of chiral quintuple layers polycatenated to give a three-dimensional network in the coordination polymer [Co-5(bpe)(9)(H2O)(8)(SO4)(4)](SO4)center dot 14H(2)O [bpe=1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane]

The reaction of cobalt(II) sulfate with 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane gives a crystalline polymeric species comprised of chiral quintuple layers with five decks of linear chains rotated by 120 degrees from level to level, that are perpendicularly joined via five-metal helical motifs; furthermore, each of these two-dimensional frames is catenated by the neighbouring layers to give an overall three-dimensional chiral nanoporous architecture.