Four new rare-earth compounds, [Eu(NDC)1.5(DMF)2] (1), [Nd2(NDC)3(DMF)4].H2O (2), [La2(NDC)3(DMF)4].0.5H2O (3), and [Eu(BTC)(H2O)] (4), where NDC = 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate, BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate, and DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide, have been synthesized through preheating and cooling-down crystallization. Compounds 1-3 possess similar 2D structures, in which the NDC ligands link M(III) (M = La, Nd, and Eu) ions of two adjacent double chains constructed by NDC ligands and dinuclear M(III) building units. In compound 4, the Eu(III) ion is seven-coordinated by O atoms from six BTC ligands and one terminal water molecule in a distorted pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination environment. If the BTC ligand and the Eu(III) ion are regarded as six-connected nodes, respectively, the structure of compound 4 can be well described as a 3D six-connected net. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 4 exhibit strong red luminescence upon 355-nm excitation. Compound 2 displays interesting emissions in the near-IR region, and yellow (580 nm) pumping of this compound results in UV and intense blue emissions through an up-conversion process. The magnetic properties of compounds 1, 2, and 4 have been studied through measurement of their magnetic susceptibilities over the temperature range of 4-300 K.

A new strategy toward constructing bifunctionalized MOFs has been developed based on post-synthetic modification of MOFs on organic ligands and coordinatively unsaturated metal sites, respectively. Based on this strategy, an organo-bifunctionalized MOF catalyst has been synthesized for the first time and successfully applied in one-pot tandem reaction.

Three new uranyl-organic coordination polymers (UO2)8(NDC)12(4,4'-bipyH2)3(4,4'-bipyH)3 (1), (UO2)3O[Ag(2,2'-bipy)2]2(NDC)3 (2), and (UO2)2(NDC)2(2,2'-bipy)2 (3), where NDC=1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate and bipy=bipyridine, have been prepared in hydrothermal conditions. Both 1 and 2 possess a 2D structure while 3 is composed of 1D zigzag chains. In 1 there are mononuclear pentagonal-bipyramidal U-O polyhedra and 1D channels filled with 4,4'-bipy molecules, whereas in 2 there are mononuclear hexagonal-bipyramidal U-O polyhedra and tetranuclear pentagonal-bipyramidal U-O clusters which form 2D channels with occluded [Ag(2,2'-bipy)2]+ counterions. In 3 both the NDC and the bipy ligands coordinate to uranyl centers, leading to hexagonal-bipyramidal polyhedra which are connected to form 1D zigzag chains. Under UV or visible irradiation, 1 and 2 degrade rhodamine B with similar efficiency. The correlation between photocatalytic reaction rate and oxygen concentration for 1 and 2 has also been elucidated. Crystal data: 1, triclinic, space group P1, a=11.037(2) A, b=15.126(3) A, c=15.660(3) A, alpha=62.05(3) degrees, beta=72.26(3) degrees, gamma=82.05(3) degrees, and Z=2; 2, triclinic, space group P1, a=14.161(3) A, b=15.122(3) A, c=18.212(4) A, alpha=85.73(3) degrees, beta=76.99(3) degrees, gamma=67.32(3) degrees, and Z=2; 3, monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n, a=10.7976(18) A, b=31.501(6) A, c=11.590(2) A, beta=97.609(4) degrees, and Z=4.

β-Galactosidase (β-gal) is an important biomarker for ovarian cancers. In this work, we designed and synthesized a novel iridium(III)-based probe 1 for discriminating ovarian carcinoma cell lines from normal cell lines. The probe could detect β-gal even in the presence of a highly autofluorescent background. The probe also showed a good linear response to β-gal between 0 and 30 U/mL, with a detection limit of 0.51 U/mL. Importantly, complex 1 could selectively "light up" ovarian carcinoma cells, while exhibiting negligible luminescence in normal cells. Overall, complex 1 could be potentially used as a useful probe for detecting β-gal expression in the context of ovarian cancer diagnostics.