Tri-and pentanuclear, kinetically stable SBUs were exploited for the preparation of the novel MOFs [Zn 3 (BTEB) 2 (DMF) 2 ] and (Me 2 NH 2 )[Zn 5 (BTEB) 3 (l 3 -OH) 2 (DMF) 2 ]. The applied synthetic approach results in topologies that are stabilised by tritopic benzene-trisethynylbenzoic acid (BTEB) linkers giving rise to chiral frameworks with large pores or channels.Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are classified as crystalline materials consisting of clusters or metal ions linked coordinatively through organic ligands and resulting in microporous networks.
1The interest in MOFs is a result of their advantageous characteristics which include facile synthesis, high porosity, and amenability to chemical modification for targeting purposes. MOFs are regarded as key materials related to energy storage 3 and efficient usage of resources, as their unprecedented surface areas make them promising alternative materials for gas storage, 4 gas separation 5 and catalysis purposes. 6 Current activities focus on the development of synthetic concepts to novel MOFs whereby increased hydrogen and CO 2 storage capabilities may provide scientific concepts to initiate a shift towards more sustainable energy concepts. Most employed synthetic approaches to MOFs rely on self-assembly using simple inorganic metal ions as starting materials that may aggregate into oligonuclear complexes in the presence of suitable, cross-linking multi-dentate ligands. Careful selection of the metal ions, the nature of the assembled coordination clusters and ligands and consideration of their preferred coordination modes and geometries provide control over the resulting network topologies. Rigid, aromatic polycarboxylate ligands whose backbone structures can be extended modularly for instance through insertion of phenylene or ethynyl moieties are attractive ligands that give rise to ultra-high surface area materials with amenable pore structures and interpenetration patterns.To explore the formation of new open-framework materials that give rise to high surface areas and interesting interpenetration patterns, the tri-functional ligand, 1,3,5-benzene-trisethynylbenzoic acid (BTEB), was chosen. /BTEB ratios of 9 : 1, result in the formation of MOF-180 that contains tetranuclear SBUs and whose structure was previously reported.
9TCM-1 contains trinuclear {Zn 3 (O 2 C) 6 } SBUs (Fig. 1a and b) in which the Zn-atoms are linearly arranged and triply bridged by bidentate carboxylate moieties that originate from six different fully deprotonated BTEB ligands. The central zinc atom is in an almost ideal octahedral coordination environment. The outer two Zn atoms adopt distorted tetrahedral coordination geometries whose remaining terminal sites are provided by O-donors from coordinating DMF molecules. Similar complexes have previously been isolated as 0D systems and used to prepare 3D-network structures.10 [TCM-1].solv crystallizes either in the space group P4 3 22 or P4 1 22 (enantiomeric) representing a chiral supramolecular system in which the shape and topol...