Tuning the Formations of Metal-Organic Frameworks by Modification of Ratio of Reactant, Acidity of Reaction System, and Use of a Secondary Ligand

Four porous coordination networks (PCNs), {[Zn3O(H2O)(3)(adc)(3)]center dot 2(C2H6NH2)center dot 2(DMF)center dot 3(H2O)}(n) (PCN-131), Zn-2(DMA)(2)(adc)(2)]center dot 2(DMA)}(n) (PCN-132), {[Zn3O(DMF)(adc)(3)(4,4'-bpy)]center dot 2(C2H6NH2)center dot S}(n) (PCN-131'), and {[Zn(adc)(4,4'-bpy)(0.5)]center dot S}(n) (PCN-132'), have been synthesized by the assembly of anthrancene-9,10-dicarboxylic acid (H(2)adc) with Zn(II) under different reaction conditions, including modifications of reactant ratio, acidity variations, and the use of a secondary ligand. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that PCN-131, obtained from the dimethylformamide (DMF) solution under acid condition, has a three-dimentional (3D) framework structure with one-dimensional (1D) honeycomb channels. PCN-132 isolated from dimethylacetamide (DMA) solution without adding acid in synthesis is a two-dimensional (2D) layer compound. By employing 4,4'-bipyridyl (4,4'-bpy) as a secondary ligand, PCN-131' and PCN-132' were synchronously synthesized as a mixture outcome with more PCN-131' than PCN-132'. In PCN-131', 4,4'-bpy acting as a secondary ligand is arranged inside the honeycomb channel of the 3D PCN-131, resulting in an effective improvement of thermal stability of the network, while in PCN-132', 4,4'-bpy ligands link 2D layers of PCN-132 to form a pillared-layer 3D framework Gas adsorption has been performed for selected materials. The results show that the framework of PCN-131 is thermally unstable after removing the solvent molecules coordinated to their metal sites. While PCN-131' is stable for gas uptake, with an evaluated Langmuir surface area of 199.04 m(2) g(-1), it shows a selective adsorption of CO2 over CH4.