Octa- and Tetradecanuclear Mixed-Valent Vanadium(III/IV) Malates with Triazoles: Gas Adsorptions, Chiral Interface Recognition, and In Situ Decarboxylation

Abstract

Spontaneous resolution has been found for a pair of cage-like octanuclear mixed-valent vanadium­(III/IV) malate enantiomers [Δ-VIII 4VIV 4O5(R-mal)6(Hdatrz)6]·44.5H2O (Δ R -1) and [Λ-VIII 4VIV 4O5(S-mal)6(Hdatrz)6]·38.5H2O (Λ S -1, H3mal = malic acid; Hdatrz = 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole). Their racemic reduced product K7[VIII 5VIV 3O5(R,S-mal)6(trz)6]·17H2O (2) and tetradecanuclear species K11[VIII 3VIV 11O11(R,S-mal)12(atrz)6]·45.5H2O (3) (Htrz = 1,2,3-triazole, Hatrz = 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole) have also been obtained. In situ decarboxylation happens for 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole-5-carboxylic acid (H2atrzc) to yield 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole under hydrothermal conditions. Both 1 and 2 show an interesting bicapped-triangular-prismatic {V8O5(mal)6} building block, which further decorates symmetrically with three [VIV 2O2(R,S-mal)2]2– units to construct a pinwheel-like {V14}-cluster, 3. Bond valence calculation sum (BVS) analyses manifest that the oxidation states of bicapped V atoms are +3 in 1–3, while the other V atoms in the {V6O5} core are ambiguous between +3 and +4 states with strong electron delocalization. Intriguingly, the triple helical chains in 1 associate in parallel to generate an amine-functionalized chiral polyoxovanadate (POV)-based supramolecular open-framework. The diameter of the interior channel is 13.6 Å, showing preferential adsorption of CO2 over gases N2, H2, and CH4. Importantly, homochiral framework Δ R -1 is capable of performing chiral interface recognition for R-1,3-butanediol (R-BDO) through host–guest interactions, as confirmed by the structural analysis of the host–guest complex Δ R -1·3­(R-BDO). There are six R-BDO molecules in the channel of Δ R -1.