Selective gas adsorption and unique structural topology of a highly stable guest-free zeolite-type MOF material with N-rich chiral open channels

A new multifunctional di-topic tetrazolate-based ligand, 2,3-di-1H-tetrazol-5-ylpyrazine (H(2)dtp) has been designed and synthesized. The solvothermal reaction of this ligand with ZnCl(2) gave a robust guest-free three-dimensional zeolite-like chiral metal-organic framework (MOF) complex, Zn(dtp)], which crystallized in chiral space group P6(1) and possessed chiral open channels with nitrogen-rich walls and the diameter of approximately 4.1 A. This framework presents a unique uniform etd (8,3) topology, is the first example of its type in MOFs, and exhibits high thermal stability with the decomposition temperature above 380 degrees C and permanent porosity. It is interesting that this material is able to selectively adsorb O(2) and CO(2) over N(2) gas, being a rare example in MOFs. In addition, C(2)H(2) and MeOH adsorption results show that although the framework channel holds nitrogen-rich walls that may provide H-bonding sites, no NH H-bond effect between the guest molecules and microporous surface was observed.