In conclusion, we have shown that it is possible to switch, in a ferroelectric fashion, racemic modifications of materials that possess bulky terminal units. [18] We propose a model in which such materials have weakened interlayer interactions, so that the torque involved in the switching procedure is reduced. This phenomenon is of interest in device applications because the materials do not need the pitch compensation required for chiral materials. Chemically synthesized nanocrystals are the subject of increasingly active research interest, since these materials can behave as ªartificial atomsº or quantum dots that exhibit sizedependent electronic, electrochemical, and optical properties, [1±3] and also on account of their unique self-assembly properties that enable formation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) superlattices. [4][5][6][7][8][9] These offer the promise of artificial-atom solids with tunable optical and electronic functionalities. Reports to date on the behavior of 2D and 3D metal-nanocrystal arrays have revealed effects such as single-electron charging, spin-dependent transport, and insulator-to-metal transitions.[10±14] Concerning demonstration of 1D nanocrystal structures, nanocrystal-based wires have been formed using a variety of methods: lateral patterning by electron-beam exposure, [15,16] spontaneous assembly using solution methods, [17±19] self-assembly onto DNA and microtubule biotemplates, [20±23] and self-organization under applied electric [24,25] and magnetic fields. [26±29] In this communication, we report the development of a new route to growth of 1D nanocrystal structures based on the use of an external magnetic field to direct the destabilization and anisotropic aggregation of CoPt 3 -nanocrystal dispersions. Structural and electrical characterization of these novel nanocrystal wires is also presented. 6.8 nm diameter CoPt 3 nanocrystals were synthesized via the simultaneous thermal decomposition of cobalt carbonyl and reduction of platinum acetylacetonate by a long-chain 1,2-diol, and were stabilized by 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid and hexadecylamine capping ligands. [7] As-synthesized nanocrystals oxidized very slowly (they are air-stable for periods of months), and were monodisperse (standard deviation r = 7 %), uniformly spherical, and highly crystalline, possessing a chemically disordered face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. Micrometer-scale 3D colloidal crystals are known to form through slow diffusion of a non-solvent (methanol) into a solution of CoPt 3 nanocrystals in toluene.