Family of Isoreticular Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on Coordination and Hydrogen Bonds in [M[Co(ethylenediamine)(oxalato)2]2]

From the parent compound [Ca[Co(ethylenediamine)(oxalitto)(2)](2)](n)center dot 4H(2)O, 1, a series of framework compounds was prepared via the soluble sodium salt and crystal growth with the divalent metal ions Cd2+, Mn2+, and Sr2+, (2-4). These compounds have the same general formula [M[Co(ethylenediamine)(oxalato)(2)](2)](n)center dot xH(2)O, and they all form the same four- and eight-connected 3D net having seu topology (and are thus isoreticular) with water Filled channels of variable size running in one direction of the crystals. However, they crystallize in two different space groups, the chiral P2(1) (3, 4, and the low temperature form of 1) and the noncentrosymmetric P (4) over bar (1 and 2). The potential voids upon water removal are 18-20% of the unit cell. Preliminary gas sorption measurements at 298 K and 8 bar show substantial CO2 and N2O uptake (12-14% and 15-16% by mass, respectively), while the H-2 uptake was 0.18%, a relatively high value considering the low pressure and high temperature.