Tandem postsynthetic modification of metal-organic frameworks using an inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction

A postsynthetic modification (PSM) scheme for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been developed using a tetrazine-based "Click" reaction. It was found that the efficacy of this modification procedure was dependent on the MOF topology and, in the case of an isoreticular MOF (IRMOF) system, required the formation of a mixed-ligand IRMOF with a suitable ratio of 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (BDC) and an olefin-tagged BDC derivative. On the basis of the versatile use of tetrazine "Click" chemistry in bioconjugate chemistry, we expect that this scheme will prove to be a useful reaction for preparing functionalized materials, including MOFs.