An achiral anthracene-pyrimidine derivative (5-(9-anthracenyl)pyrimidine, 1) forms adduct 1 . Cd(NO3)(2). H2O . EtOH (2) in chiral space group P2(1). The metal ion is hexacoordinated with two pyrimidine ligands (equatorial cis), water and ethanol (equatorial cis), and two nitrate ions (axial trans). The chirality arises from a pyrimidine-Cd2+ helical array and is preserved not only in each crystal via homochiral interstrand water-nitrate hydrogen bonding but also in all the crystals in the same chirality as a result of single-colony homochiral crystal growth. Compound 1 also forms achiral (Pbca) trihydrate adduct 1 . Cd(NO3)(2). 3H(2)O (3) having nonhelical pyrimidine-Cd2+ zigzag chains. Achiral zigzag polymer 3 and chiral helical polymer 2 are interconvertible with each other in the solid states upon exchange of volatile ligands (ethanol and water). The helix winding associated with the conversion of adduct 3 to 2 can be made homochiral by seeding.