Sulfonate-Grafted Metal–Organic Frameworks for Reductive Functionalization of CO2 to Benzimidazoles and N-Formamides

Effective Reduction of CO2 with Aromatic Amines into N-Formamides Triggered by Noble-Free Metal-Organic Framework Catalysts Under Mild Conditions

The reductive transformation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into high-valued N‑formamides matches well with the atom economy and the sustainable development intention. Nevertheless, developing a noble-free metal catalyst under mild reaction conditions is desirable and challenging. Herein, a caged metal-organic framework (MOFs) [H2N(CH3)2]2{[Ni3(µ3-O)(XN)(BDC)3]·6DMF}n (1) (XN = 6″-(pyridin-4-yl)-4,2″:4″,4″'-terpyridine), H2BDC = terephthalic acid) is harvested, presenting high thermal and chemical stabilities. Catalytic investigation reveals that 1 as a renewable noble-free MOFs catalyst can catalyze the CO2 reduction conversion with aromatic amines tolerated by broad functional groups at least ten times, resulting in various formamides in excellent yields and selectivity under the mildest reaction system (room temperature and 1 bar CO2). Density functional theory (DFT) theoretical studies disclose the applicable reaction path, in which the CO2 hydrosilylation process is initiated by the [Ni3] cluster interaction with CO2 via η2-C, O coordination mode. This work may open up an avenue to seek high-efficiency noble-free catalysts in CO2 chemical reduction into high value-added chemicals.

A novel porphyrin MOF catalyst for efficient conversion of CO2 with propargyl amines

The capture and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemical products under mild conditions is an important and challenging approach for contemporary industry. Carboxylic acid ligands are widely used in the development of functionalized metal organic framework materials due to their excellent stability. Herein, a novel mixed-metal organic framework Cu-TCPP(Fe) was assembled from iron-(Fe)-porphyrin ligands, which can efficiently catalyze the reaction of propargylic amines and CO2 to synthesize 2-oxazolidinones.

Defect-engineering improves the activity of Metal-Organic frameworks for catalyzing hydroboration of Alkynes: A combination of experimental investigation and Density functional theory calculations

Defect-engineered metal-organic frameworks (DEMOFs) are emerging advanced materials. The construction of DEMOFs is of great significance; however, DEMOF-based catalysis remains unexplored. (E)-vinylboronates, an important building block for asymmetric synthesis, can be synthesized via the hydroboration of alkynes. However, the lack of high-performance catalysts considerably hinders their synthesis. Herein, a series of DEHKUST-1 (HKUST = Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) (Da-f) catalysts with missing occupation of linkers at Cu nodes were designed by partially replacing benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (H3BTC) with defective connectors of pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate (PYDC) to efficiently promote the hydroboration of alkynes. Results showed that the Dd containing 0.8 doping ratio of PYDC exhibited remarkable catalytic activity than the defect-free HKUST-1. This originated from the improved accessibility for reactants towards the Lewis acid active Cu sites of DEHKUST-1 due to the presence of plenty of rooms next to the Cu sites and enhanced coordination ability in such 'defective' HKUST-1. Dd had high selectivity (>99 %) and yield (>96 %) for (E)-vinylboronates and extensive functional group compatibility for terminal alkynes. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to elucidate the mechanism of hydroboration. Compared with that of defect-free HKUST-1, the low energy barrier of DEHKUST-1 can be attributed to the lower coordination number of Cu sites and enhanced accessibility of Cu active sites towards reagents.

Three Polyoxometalate-Based Ag-Organic Compounds as Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Synthesis of Benzimidazoles

Three new POM-based compounds, with formulae [Na0.63Ag3(Htba)2.37(tba)0.63(H2O)2(PMo12O40)]·4H2O (Ag3PMo), [Ag4(Htba)4(H2O)2(PMo12O40)](NO3)·H2O (Ag4PMo), and [Ag3(Htba)2(tba)(PW12O40)0.5](NO3)0.5·13H2O (Ag3PW), were prepared with a 3-(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)benzoic acid (Htba) ligand, Keggin-type anions ([PMo12O40]3-/[PW12O40]3-), and a silver ion (Ag+). The structural features of these compounds are particularly different from the multinuclear subunits, which are [Ag3(tba)3] clusters in Ag3PMo, [Ag4(tba)3] chains in Ag4PMo, and [Ag3(tba)3]2 clusters in Ag3PW, connected by multidonor atom tba ligands and Ag+ ions. Meanwhile, in these compounds, polyanions act as polydentate ligands to link adjacent Ag-tba metal-organic units and expand their spatial dimensions. These compounds, as heterogeneous catalysts, exhibit high stability and excellent catalytic activity to construct benzimidazoles. Ag3PMo could efficiently catalyze the condensation of benzene-1,2-diamines and benzaldehydes and produce benzimidazoles in good yields. In addition, Ag3PMo could be reused up to 7 times and was suitable for gram-scale reactions.

Thermocatalytic Conversion of CO2 to Valuable Products Activated by Noble-Metal-Free Metal-Organic Frameworks

Thermocatalysis of CO2 into high valuable products is an efficient and green method for mitigating global warming and other environmental problems, of which Noble-metal-free metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the most promising heterogeneous catalysts for CO2 thermocatalysis, and many excellent researches have been published. Hence, this review focuses on the valuable products obtained from various CO2 conversion reactions catalyzed by noble-metal-free MOFs, such as cyclic carbonates, oxazolidinones, carboxylic acids, N-phenylformamide, methanol, ethanol, and methane. We classified these published references according to the types of products, and analyzed the methods for improving the catalytic efficiency of MOFs in CO2 reaction. The advantages of using noble-metal-free MOF catalysts for CO2 conversion were also discussed along the text. This review concludes with future perspectives on the challenges to be addressed and potential research directions. We believe that this review will be helpful to readers and attract more scientists to join the topic of CO2 conversion.

Highly efficient conversion of CO2 into N-formamides catalyzed by a noble-metal-free aluminum-based MOF under mild conditions

Formamides have critical application value in the chemical industry serving as solvents or reagents for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and dyes. Herein, we selected a green-synthesis produced aluminum-based metal-organic framework (Al-MOF) material CAU-10pydc as a catalyst to study its performance in CO2 formylation reaction. At room temperature and in the green solvent acetonitrile, CAU-10pydc could highly effectively catalyze the reaction of CO2 and N-methylaniline to N-methyl-N-phenylformamide under mild conditions. CAU-10pydc could maintain its efficient catalytic performance after five catalytic cycles, and PXRD and SEM measurements demonstrated that CAU-10pydc is stable after cyclic catalysis. The universality of this catalyst was illustrated by nine substrates with high yields. The reaction mechanism was further analyzed by DFT calculations. To our knowledge, this work is the first example of a CO2 formylation reaction being catalyzed highly effectively by an Al-MOF under green conditions.