Issue 3, 2016

Encapsulation of an organometallic cationic catalyst by direct exchange into an anionic MOF

Abstract

Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials that have emerged as promising hosts for the heterogenization of homogeneous organometallic catalysts, forming hybrid materials which combine the benefits of both classes of catalysts. Herein, we report the encapsulation of the organometallic cationic Lewis acidic catalyst [CpFe(CO)2(L)]+ ([Fp–L]+, Cp = η5-C5H5, L = weakly bound solvent) inside the pores of the anionic [Et4N]3[In3(BTC)4] MOF (H3BTC = benzenetricarboxylic acid) via a direct one-step cation exchange process. To conclusively validate this methodology, initially [Cp2Co]+ was used as an inert spatial probe to (i) test the stability of the selected host; (ii) monitor the stoichiometry of the cation exchange process and (iii) assess pore dimensions, spatial location of the cationic species and guest-accessible space by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Subsequently, the quasi-isosteric [Fp–L]+ was encapsulated inside the pores via partial cation exchange to form [(Fp–L)0.6(Et4N)2.4][In3(BTC)4]. The latter was rigorously characterized and benchmarked as a heterogeneous catalyst in a simple Diels–Alder reaction, thus verifying the integrity and reactivity of the encapsulated molecular catalyst. These results provide a platform for the development of heterogeneous catalysts with chemically and spatially well-defined catalytic sites by direct exchange of cationic catalysts into anionic MOFs.

Graphical abstract: Encapsulation of an organometallic cationic catalyst by direct exchange into an anionic MOF

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
16 Sep 2015
Accepted
01 Dec 2015
First published
08 Dec 2015
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2016,7, 2037-2050

Author version available

Encapsulation of an organometallic cationic catalyst by direct exchange into an anionic MOF

A. Grigoropoulos, G. F. S. Whitehead, N. Perret, A. P. Katsoulidis, F. M. Chadwick, R. P. Davies, A. Haynes, L. Brammer, A. S. Weller, J. Xiao and M. J. Rosseinsky, Chem. Sci., 2016, 7, 2037 DOI: 10.1039/C5SC03494A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements