Investigating the Single Crystal to Single Crystal Transformations of Highly Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks Through the Crystalline Sponge Method

Abstract

The development of a new technique capable of analyzing compounds crystallographically without first needing to crystallize them has been recently described. The present thesis aims to demonstrate the potential of such a technique, which utilizes crystalline sponges, in order to regularly order guest compounds in a porous media. The structural stability of the molecular sponges, which are highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), is first investigated, revealing that the Co-based MOF, 1, undergoes two remarkable transformations. This thesis also demonstrates how the technique can be employed to visualize the motion and occupancy of gaseous guests in a MOF. The Zn-based MOF, 4, was found to physisorb and chemisorb molecular iodine, leading to the formation of a variety of polyiodide species. The flexible nature of the host was determined to be an essential component in the exceptionally large iodine uptake capacity of the MOF. These results illustrate that the crystalline sponge method can be an effective strategy for directly visualizing guest molecules and obtaining vital information on the interactions formed between the host and guest.