title: Alkali metal cation (K+, Cs+) induced dissolution/reorganization of porous metal carboxylate coordination networks in water.
abstract: Porous metal-organic coordination networks (MOCNs) {A(2)[M(3)(btec)(2)(H(2)O)(4)]}(n) (1, A=K, M=Co; 2, A=K, M=Ni; 3, A=Cs, M=Co; and 4, A=Cs, M=Ni; btec=benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylate) with nearly identical structural features were hydrothermally prepared. These compounds adopt (4,8)-connected scu nets but exhibit subtle differences in the topology of the final three-dimensional architectures. Compound 1 has a regular net with the largest solvent void (21.1 %), while the nets of the other three (2-4) are slightly distorted from a regular shape and have malformed pores with smaller solvent voids (5.4-11.4 %). Likely, the different supramolecular environments among 1-4 subtly depend on the eight-connected binodal cubical vertices/four-connected square-planar connectivity between the trimetallic clusters and the btec ligands. Cobalt species 3 dissolved in an aqueous solution of KCl, and then reorganized to form 1 at ambient temperature. Interestingly, under similar conditions, 1 dissolved and then was regenerated to give the same structure. Nickel species 2 and 4 also underwent a dissolution/reorganization process in an aqueous solution of KCl to afford new metal-carboxylate product {K(2)[Ni(3)(btec)(2)(H(2)O)(4)]}(n) (2'). This compound forms a (4,8)-connected scu net with regular pores, which is isostructural and isomorphous with 1, and is a supramolecular isomer of 2. Similarly, in an aqueous solution of CsCl, 1-4 were converted to 1D zigzag chain structures {Cs(2)[M(btec)(H(2)O)(4)]}(n) (5, M=Co; 6, M=Ni) that enlarged to hydrogen-bonded 3D porous supramolecular networks. Remarkable, reversible alkali metal cation induced structural transformations between 1 and 5 occurred via dissolution/reorganization processes. Thermogravimetric analyses showed that these metal-carboxylate species have high thermal stability (T>300 degrees C).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jing-Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Miao-Tzu
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Yuh-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Yen-Hsiang
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kuang-Lieh
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lu