Triazine‐Cored Lanthanide‐Based Metal–Organic Frameworks Featuring Unique Water Chains and Strong Characteristic Emissions

A new triazine‐cored tricarboxylic acid, N,N′,N“‐1,3,5‐triazine‐2,4,6‐triyltris(cis‐4‐aminocyclohexane‐carboxylic acid) (H₃L), has been prepared by replacing the chlorine atoms of cyanuric chloride with cis‐4‐aminocyclohexane‐carboxylic acid, which has been used for the construction of a series of triazine‐cored lanthanide‐based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). All these MOFs were structurally authenticated, revealing that they are isostructural and exist as two‐dimensional (2D) coordination networks with the general formula [Ln(L)(H₂O)₂]?5.5 H₂O (Ln= 1?Gd , 2?Tb , 3?Eu ). A unique one‐dimensional water chain, composed of primary tetrameric cyclic rings and dodecameric cyclic rings, has been found entrapped in the lattice. Moreover, all these compounds display bright characteristic photoluminescence. Particularly, for 1 , apart from the strong blue emission peak (Φ_f=20.6 %) corresponding to the intraligand transition under near‐UV excitation, the characteristic emissions of Gd³⁺ cation (Φ_f=5.0 %) were unexpectedly observed upon excitation at 273 nm.     

Real‐Time Detection of Traces of Benzaldehyde in Benzyl Alcohol as a Solvent by a Flexible Lanthanide Microporous Metal–Organic Framework

Luminescent 3D lanthanide metal–organic framework (Ln‐MOF) {[Tb₂(TATAB)₂] ? 4 H₂O ? 6 DMF}_n ( 1 ) was synthesized under solvothermal conditions by using flexible ligand 4,4′,4′′‐s‐triazine‐1,3,5‐triyltri‐p‐aminobenzoate (TATAB). A phase transition was observed between low temperature and room temperature. The luminescence of 1 could be enhanced by formaldehyde and quenched efficiently by trace amounts of benzaldehyde in solvents such as benzyl alcohol (0.01–2.0 vol %) and ethanol (0.01–2.5 vol %). This is the first use of a Ln‐MOF as chemical sensor for both formaldehyde and benzaldehyde. The high sensitivity and selectivity of the luminescence response of 1 to benzaldehyde allows it to be used as an excellent sensor for identifying benzaldehyde and provides a simple and convenient method for detecting traces of benzaldehyde in benzyl alcohol based injections. This work establishes a new strategy for detection of benzaldehyde in benzyl alcohol by luminescent MOFs.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Photoluminescence of Lanthanide Metal‐organic Frameworks,Constructed from Triangular 4,4′,4″‐s‐triazine‐1,3,5‐triyl‐p‐aminobenzoate Ligands

Eight isomorphous metal‐organic frameworks: [Ln₂(TATAB)₂(H₂O)(DMA)₆]·5H₂O (Ln = Sm ( 1 ), Eu ( 2 ), Gd ( 3 ), Tb ( 4 ), Dy ( 5 ), Er ( 6 ), Tm ( 7 ), Yb ( 8 )); TATAB = 4,4′,4″‐s‐triazine‐1,3,5‐triyl‐p‐aminobenzoate, DMA = N,N‐dimethylacetamide), were synthesized by the self‐assembly of lanthanide ions, TATAB, DMA and H₂O. Single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography reveals they are three dimensional frameworks with 2‐fold interpenetration. Solid‐state photoluminescence studies indicate ligand‐to‐metal energy transfer is more efficient for compounds 2 and 4 which exhibit intense characteristic lanthanide emissions at room temperature.     

A Water‐Stable Terbium(III)–Organic Framework as a Chemosensor for Inorganic Ions,Nitro‐Containing Compounds and Antibiotics in Aqueous Solutions

Effective detection of organic/inorganic pollutants, such as antibiotics, nitro‐compounds, excessive Fe³⁺ and MnO₄^?, is crucial for human health and environmental protection. Here, a new terbium(III)–organic framework, namely [Tb(TATAB)(H₂O)]?2H₂O ( Tb‐MOF , H₃TATAB=4,4′,4′′‐s‐triazine‐1,3,5‐triyltri‐m‐aminobenzoic acid), was assembled and characterized. The Tb‐MOF exhibits a water‐stable 3D bnn framework. Due to the existence of competitive absorption, Tb‐MOF has a high selectivity for detecting Fe³⁺, MnO₄^?, 4‐nirophenol and nitroimidazole (ronidazole, metronidazole, dimetridazole, ornidazole) in aqueous through luminescent quenching. The results suggest that Tb‐MOF is a simple and reliable reagent with multiple sensor responses in practical applications. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first Tb^III‐based MOF as an efficient fluorescent sensor for detecting metal ions, inorganic anions, nitro‐compounds, and antibiotics simultaneously.     

Microporous La–Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) with Large Surface Area

A microporous La–metal‐organic framework (MOF) has been synthesized by the reaction of La(NO₃)₃ ? 6 H₂O with a ligand 4,4′,4′′‐s‐triazine‐1,3,5‐triyltri‐p‐aminobenzoate (TATAB) featuring three carboxylate groups. Crystal structure analysis confirms the formation of 3D MOF with hexagonal micropores, a Brunauer–Emmett—Teller (BET) surface area of 1074 m² g^?1 and high thermal and chemical stability. The CO₂ adsorption capacities are 76.8 cm³ g^?1 at 273 K and 34.6 cm³ g^?1 at 293 K, a highest measured CO₂ uptake for a Ln–MOFs.     

Three Lanthanide Metal‐Organic Frameworks Based on an Ether‐Decorated Polycarboxylic Acid Linker: Luminescence Modulation,CO2 Capture and Conversion Properties

Three new isostructural 3D lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln‐MOFs), {H[LnL(H₂O)]?2 H₂O}_n ( 1‐Ln ) (Ln=Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺ and Tb³⁺), based on infinite lanthanide‐carboxylate chains were constructed by employing an ether‐separated 5,5′‐oxydiisophthalic acid (H₄L) ligand under solvothermal reaction. 1‐Eu and 1‐Tb exhibit strong red and green emission, respectively, through the antenna effect, as demonstrated through a combination of calculation and experimental results. Moreover, a series of dichromatic doped 1‐Eu_xTb_y MOFs were fabricated by introducing different concentrations of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ions, and they display an unusual variation of luminescent colors from green, yellow, orange to red. 1‐Eu with channels decorated by ether O atoms and the open metal sites displays good performance for CO₂ capture and conversion between CO₂ and epoxides into cyclic carbonates.     

Luminescence Tuning and White‐Light Emission of Co‐doped Ln–Cd–Organic Frameworks

Four new three‐dimensional isostructural lanthanide–cadmium metal–organic frameworks (Ln–Cd MOFs), [LnCd₂(imdc)₂(Ac)(H₂O)₂]?H₂O (Ln=Pr ( 1 ), Eu ( 2 ), Gd ( 3 ), and Tb ( 4 ); H₃imdc=4,5‐imidazoledicarboxylic acid; Ac=acetate), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by IR, elemental analyses, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, and X‐ray diffraction. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction shows that two Ln^III ions are surrounded by four Cd^II ions to form a heteronuclear building block. The blocks are further linked to form 3D Ln–Cd MOFs by the bridging imdc^3? ligand. Furthermore, the left‐ and right‐handed helices array alternatively in the lattice. Eu–Cd and Tb–Cd MOFs can emit characteristic red light with the Eu^III ion and green light with the Tb^III ion, respectively, while both Gd–Cd and Pr–Cd MOFs generate blue emission when they are excited. Different concentrations of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ions were co‐doped into Gd–Cd/Pr–Cd MOFs, and tunable luminescence from yellow to white was achieved. White‐light emission was obtained successfully by adjusting the excitation wavelength or the co‐doping ratio of the co‐doped Gd–Cd and Pr–Cd MOFs. These results show that the relative emission intensity of white light for Gd–Cd:Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ MOFs is stronger than that of Pr–Cd:Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ MOFs, which implies that the Gd complex is a better matrix than the Pr complex to obtain white‐light emission materials.     

Structural Variations and Molecular Dynamics of Rare‐Earth Metal Complexes with the N,N‐Bis(2‐{pyrid‐2‐yl}ethyl)hydroxylaminato Ligand

The reaction of the donor‐functionalised N,N‐bis(2‐{pyrid‐2‐yl}ethyl)hydroxylamine and [LnCp₃] (Cp=cyclopentadiene) resulted in the formation of bis(cyclopentadienyl) hydroxylaminato rare‐earth metal complexes of the general constitution [Ln(C₅H₅)₂{ON(C₂H₄‐o‐Py)₂}] (Py= pyridyl) with Ln=Lu ( 1 ), Y ( 2 ), Ho ( 3 ), Sm ( 4 ), Nd ( 5 ), Pr ( 6 ), La ( 7 ). These compounds were characterised by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy (for compounds 1 , 2 , 4 and 7 ) and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction experiments. The complexes exhibit three different aggregation modes and binding motifs in the solid state. The late rare‐earth metal atoms (Lu, Y, Ho and Sm) form monomeric complexes of the formula [Ln(C₅H₅)₂{η²‐ON(C₂H₄‐η¹‐o‐Py)(C₂H₄‐o‐Py)}] ( 1 – 4 , respectively), in which one of the pyridyl nitrogen donor atoms is bonded to the metal atom in addition to the side‐on coordinating hydroxylaminato unit. The larger Nd³⁺ and Pr³⁺ ions in 5 and 6 make the hydroxylaminato unit capable of dimerising through the oxygen atoms. This leads to the dimeric complexes [(Ln(C₅H₅)₂{μ‐η¹:η²‐ON(C₂H₄‐o‐Py)₂})₂] without metal–pyridine bonds. Compound 7 exhibits a dimeric coordination mode similar to the complexes 5 and 6 , but, in addition, two pyridyl functions coordinate to the lanthanum atoms leading to the [(La(C₅H₅)₂{ON(C₂H₄‐o‐Py)}{μ‐η¹:η²‐ON(C₂H₄‐η¹‐o‐Py)})₂] complex. The aggregation trend is directly related to the size of the metal ions. The complexes with coordinative pyridine–metal bonds show highly dynamic behaviour in solution. The two pyridine nitrogen atoms rapidly change their coordination to the metal atom at ambient temperature. Variable‐temperature (VT) NMR experiments showed that this dynamic exchange can be frozen on the NMR timescale.     

A self‐penetrated three‐dimensional zinc(II) coordination framework based on 4,4′,4′′‐(1,3,5‐triazine‐2,4,6‐triyl)tribenzoic acid and 1,3‐bis[(imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]benzene ligands: synthesis,structure and properties

With the rapid development of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a variety of MOFs and their derivatives have been synthesized and reported in recent years. Commonly, multifunctional aromatic polycarboxylic acids and nitrogen‐containing ligands are employed to construct MOFs with fascinating structures. 4,4′,4′′‐(1,3,5‐Triazine‐2,4,6‐triyl)tribenzoic acid (H₃TATB) and the bidentate nitrogen‐containing ligand 1,3‐bis[(imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]benzene (bib) were selected to prepare a novel Zn^II‐MOF under solvothermal conditions, namely poly[[tris{μ‐1,3‐bis[(imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]benzene}bis[μ₃‐4,4′,4′′‐(1,3,5‐triazine‐2,4,6‐triyl)tribenzoato]trizinc(II)] dimethylformamide disolvate trihydrate], {[Zn₃(C₂₄H₁₂N₃O₆)₂(C₁₄H₁₄N₄)₃]·2C₃H₇NO·3H₂O}_n ( 1 ). The structure of 1 was characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy and powder X‐ray diffraction. The properties of 1 were investigated by thermogravimetric and fluorescence analysis. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction shows that 1 belongs to the monoclinic space group Pc. The asymmetric unit contains three crystallographically independent Zn^II centres, two 4,4′,4′′‐(1,3,5‐triazine‐2,4,6‐triyl)tribenzoate (TATB^3?) anions, three complete bib ligands, one and a half free dimethylformamide molecules and three guest water molecules. Each Zn^II centre is four‐coordinated and displays a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry. The Zn^II centres are connected by TATB^3? anions to form an angled ladder chain with large windows. Simultaneously, the bib ligands link Zn^II centres to give a helical Zn–bib–Zn chain. Furthermore, adjacent ladders are bridged by Zn–bib–Zn chains to form a fascinating three‐dimensional self‐penetrated framework with the short Schläfli symbol 6⁵·7·8¹³·9·10. In addition, the luminescence properties of 1 in the solid state and the fluorescence sensing of metal ions in suspension were studied. Significantly, compound 1 shows potential application as a fluorescent sensor with sensing properties for Zr⁴⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions.     

A Simple and Highly Sensitive Electrochemically Reduced p‐Nitrobenzoic Acid Film Modified Sensor for Determination of Mercury

Herein, a simple electrochemical sensor was fabricated for sensing Hg²⁺ ions by using electrochemically reduced p‐nitrobenzoic acid molecules modified (ERpNBA) glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The modified electrode was applied for the determination of Hg²⁺ ions by using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Experimental parameters such as concentration of p‐nitrobenzoic acid used for electrode modification, pH, accumulation time and deposition potential used for the determination of Hg²⁺ ions were optimized. The strong interaction between the Hg²⁺ ions and the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atoms of ERpNBA molecules leads to highly selective adsorption of Hg²⁺ ions on the modified electrode. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the sensor showed higher sensitivity and very low detection limit for Hg²⁺ ions than other metal ions such as Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions. The LOD for Hg²⁺ ions was 240 pM which is below the guideline value given by the World Health Organization and the earlier reports.