Porous/zeolitic metal azolate frameworks may be efficiently prepared, with water as the only byproduct, by heating a mixture of metal oxide/hydroxide and azole ligand.

The reaction of commercially available 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (Hatz) and Zn(OH)(2) at room temperature produced a porous zeolite-like metal azolate framework, [Zn(atz)(2)] (MAF-66). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of MAF-66 showed that atz(-) served as an imidazolate-type ligand, linking tetrahedral Zn(II) ions to form a noninterpenetrated dia framework, which contains a narrow, three-dimensional intersecting channel system (void = 49.8%) functionalized by amino groups and uncoordinated triazolate N atoms on the pore surface. Gas-sorption measurements of MAF-66 revealed high CO(2) uptakes (27.6/19.4 wt % at 273/298 K and 1 atm) and high Henry's law CO(2)/N(2) selectivity (403/225 at 273/298 K). The host-guest interactions between CO(2) and the pore surface were also studied by in situ IR absorption spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction measurements.

Mn(III) is a powerful active site for catalytic oxidation of alkyl aromatics, but it can be only stabilized by macrocyclic chelating ligands such porphyrinates. Herein, by using benzobistriazolate as a rigid bridging ligand, a porous Mn(II) azolate framework with a nitrogen-rich coordinated environment similar to that of metalloporphyrins was synthesized, in which the Mn(II) ions can be post-oxidized to Mn(III) to achieve drastic increase of catalytic (aerobic) oxidation performance.

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Doping very small amounts of Ru(II) into a flexible, ultramicroporous, fluorescent Zn(II) coordination polymer produced phosphorescent materials with very high and tunable oxygen quenching efficiency; and a simple color-changing ratiometric oxygen sensor has been constructed.