Separations
based on molecular size (molecular sieving) are a solution
for environmental remediation. We have synthesized and characterized
two new metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) (Zn
2
M; M = Zn, Cd) with ultramicropores
(<0.7 nm) suitable for molecular sieving. We explore the synthesis
of these MOFs and the role that the DMSO/H2O/DMF solvent
mixture has on the crystallization process. We further explore the
crystallographic data for the DMSO and methanol solvated structures
at 273 and 100 K; this not only results in high-quality structural
data but also allows us to better understand the structural features
at temperatures around the gas adsorption experiments. Structurally,
the main difference between the two MOFs is that the central metal
in the trimetallic node can be changed from Zn to Cd and that results
in a sub-Å change in the size of the pore aperture, but a stark
change in the gas adsorption properties. The separation selectivity
of the MOF when M = Zn is infinite given the pore aperture of the
MOF can accommodate CO2 while N2 and/or CH4 is excluded from entering the pore. Furthermore, due to the
size exclusion behavior, the MOF has an adsorption selectivity of
4800:1 CO2/N2 and 5 × 1028:1
CO2/CH4. When M = Cd, the pore aperture of the
MOF increases slightly, allowing N2 and CH4 to
enter the pore, resulting in a 27.5:1 and a 10.5:1 adsorption selectivity,
respectively; this is akin to UiO-66, a MOF that is not able to function
as a molecular sieve for these gases. The data delineate how subtle
sub-Å changes to the pore aperture of a framework can drastically
affect both the adsorption selectivity and separation selectivity.