Iodine Molecules within Triethylenediamine-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Hydrolysis/Alkylation Tandem Reactions

The integration of radionuclide iodine molecules in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for organic synthesis is attracting considerable research attention due to their specific catalytic performance. However, understanding the comprehensive catalytic behaviors of different types of molecular iodine encapsulated in MOFs for a sequential organic transformation is a great challenge. To address this issue, we have designed two triethylenediamine-functionalized MOFs assembled from 1,3,5-tricarboxyphenyl-2-(triethylenediaminemethyl)benzene-linker and {Cd(COO)3N} or {Cu4(u3-OH)2(COO)6N} clusters. Both MOFs show good stability and adsorption of I2 in the solution and vapor phases. Catalysts obtained after treatment with ethyl acetate present efficient catalytic activity in hydrolysis/alkylation tandem reactions in water. The mechanistic investigations disclose a sequential catalytic process comprising a "hidden" Brønsted acid catalytic hydrolysis of acetals to aldehydes followed by the I2-bonding Lewis acid catalytic alkylation of aldehydes to 3,3'-disubstituted 1H-indoles.

Adsorption of iodine in metal-organic framework materials

Nuclear power will continue to provide energy for the foreseeable future, but it can pose significant challenges in terms of the disposal of waste and potential release of untreated radioactive substances. Iodine is a volatile product from uranium fission and is particularly problematic due to its solubility. Different isotopes of iodine present different issues for people and the environment. 129I has an extremely long half-life of 1.57 × 107 years and poses a long-term environmental risk due to bioaccumulation. In contrast, 131I has a shorter half-life of 8.02 days and poses a significant risk to human health. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop secure, efficient and economic stores to capture and sequester ionic and neutral iodine residues. Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials are a new generation of solid sorbents that have wide potential applicability for gas adsorption and substrate binding, and recently there is emerging research on their use for the selective adsorptive removal of iodine. Herein, we review the state-of-the-art performance of MOFs for iodine adsorption and their host-guest chemistry. Various aspects are discussed, including establishing structure-property relationships between the functionality of the MOF host and iodine binding. The techniques and methodologies used for the characterisation of iodine adsorption and of iodine-loaded MOFs are also discussed together with strategies for designing new MOFs that show improved performance for iodine adsorption.

Highly efficient, reversible iodine capture and exceptional uptake of amines in viologen-based porous organic polymers

A viologen-based porous organic polymer, POP-V-VI, was designed and synthesized by a facile nucleophilic substitution between cyanuric chloride and 1,2-bis(4-pyridinium) ethylene. Together with the reported POP-V-BPY with a similar structure, these viologen-based porous organic polymers bear high charge density, phenyl ring and nitrogenous affinity sites, which endow them with excellent iodine vapor uptake capacity (4860 mg g-1 for POP-V-VI and 4200 mg g-1 for POP-V-BPY) and remarkably high adsorption capacity for pyridine (4470 mg g-1 for POP-V-VI and 8880 mg g-1 for POP-V-BPY) and other aliphatic amines. POP-V-VI and POP-V-BPY could be efficiently recycled and reused three times without significant loss of iodine vapor uptake. All these results demonstrate that POP-V-VI and POP-V-BPY are promising adsorbents for practical applications in portable devices such as gas masks.

Characterization and gas adsorption of a novel three-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) generated from a new polydentate fluorene-bridged ligand

A polydentate ligand bridged by a fluorene group, namely 9,9-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,7-bis(pyridin-4-yl)fluorene (L), has been prepared under solvothermal conditions in acetonitrile. Crystals of the three-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) poly[[[μ₃-9,9-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,7-bis(pyridin-4-yl)fluorene-κ³N:N':O]bis(methanol-κO)(μ-sulfato-κ²O:O')nickel(II)] methanol disolvate], {[Ni(SO₄)(C₂₇H₂₄N₂O₂)(CH₃OH)]·2CH₃OH}_n, (I), were obtained by the solvothermal reaction of L and NiSO₄ in methanol. The ligand L forms a two-dimensional network in the crystallographic bc plane via two groups of O-H...N hydrogen bonds and neighbouring two-dimensional planes are completely parallel and stack to form a three-dimensional structure. In (I), the Ni^II ions are linked by sulfate ions through Ni-O bonds to form inorganic chains and these Ni-containing chains are linked into a three-dimensional framework via Ni-O and Ni-N bonds involving the polydentate ligand L. With one of the hydroxy groups of L coordinating to the Ni^II atom, the torsion angle of the hydroxyethyl group changes from that of the uncoordinated molecule. In addition, the adsorption properties of (I) with carbon dioxide were investigated.

A metal–organic framework based multifunctional catalytic platform for organic transformation and environmental remediation

Given the need for an efficient reaction platform, a multifunctional material has been developed through the integration of iodine into a Cd²⁺ based MOF as a new catalytic system for organic transformation.

Two metal–organic frameworks based on pyridyl–tricarboxylate ligands as size-selective catalysts for solvent-free cyanosilylation reaction

Two novel 3D metal–organic frameworks based on multifunctional pyridyl–tricarboxylate ligands as size-selective heterogeneous catalysts for the cyanosilylation of acetaldehydes.

Cyanosilylation of Aldehydes Catalyzed by Iron(III) Arylhydrazone-β-Diketone Complexes

Two known iron(iii) complexes, [Fe(H2O)3(L1)]·xH2O (x = 4 (1), 5 (2)) and [Fe(H2O)3(L2)]·3H2O (3), bearing the basic forms of 5-chloro-3-(2-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohexylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid (H3L1) and 3-(2-(2,4-dioxopentan-3-ylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid (H3L2), were prepared and used as homogeneous catalysts for cyanosilylation of a variety of aldehydes with trimethylsilyl cyanide leading to the corresponding cyanohydrin trimethylsilyl ethers. High yield (up to 98 %) was observed in the reaction catalyzed by 3 at room temperature in methanol.

A bi-metallic MOF catalyst via sensitive detection & adsorption of Fe3+ ions for size-selective reaction prompting

Novel MOF adsorbed Fe³⁺ presents the first example of a bi-metallic Lewis-acid catalyst for the cyanosilylation reaction in a size-selective fashion.

Synthesis, magnetism and spectral studies of six defective dicubane tetranuclear {M4O6} (M = NiII, CoII, ZnII) and three trinuclear CdII complexes with polydentate Schiff base ligands

Six defective dicubane face-shared and three trinuclear complexes are synthesized. The magnetic behaviors of Ni^II/Co^II complexes and fluorescence properties of Zn^II and Cd^II are studied.

Design and synthesis of luminescent porous coordination polymers for chromaticity modulation, sensing of nitrobenzene and iodine encapsulation

A family of porous coordination polymers constructed from C_2v symmetry ligands with increased conjugation moieties was systematically designed and prepared, which is highly promising for chromaticity modulation, sensing of nitrobenzene, and I₂ encapsulation.

Micro-Cu4I4-MOF: reversible iodine adsorption and catalytic properties for tandem reaction of Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles with acetals

I₂@Cu₄I₄-MOF can be a highly heterogeneous catalyst to promote the tandem reaction of Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles with acetals under solvent-free conditions at room temperature.

A two-component hydrogelator from citrazinic acid and melamine: synthesis, intriguing role of reaction parameters and iodine adsorption study

Melamine and citrazinic acid, upon solid-state grinding, produced a two-component gelator which selectively gelates water or a mixed-solvent system having water as one of the solvents. The dried hydrogel was porous and shows adsorption and storage of molecular iodine.

Structures and multiple properties of two polar metal–organic frameworks based on achiral N,O-coordinated ligands: toward multifunctional materials

Reported here are two polar MOFs with combined PL and SHG response or combined antiferromagnetism and photocatalysis properties.

MOF as a syringe pump for the controlled release of iodine catalyst in the synthesis of meso-thienyl dipyrromethanes

An iodine loaded NH₂-MOF acts as a syringe pump for the slow release of iodine catalyst in the synthesis of thienyl dipyrromethanes.