Three Sequential Hydrolysis Products of the Ubiquitous Cu24 Isophthalate Metal-Organic Polyhedra

Inorg Chem. 2019 Aug 5;58(15):9874-9881. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b00997. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Abstract

Metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) are increasingly studied as host-guest capsules, linked into networks, or incorporated into composite materials. As such, understanding the decomposition of MOP structures is of fundamental importance. The degradation of the ubiquitous copper(II) MOP Cu24[5-(hydroxy)isophthalate]24 (1) is studied in liquid water. At different intervals of water exposure, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) is performed and stepwise conversion of the MOP into three different coordination polymers is observed. First, the formation of a 2D coordination polymer, 2, is observed, which upon further exposure gives a 1D coordination polymer, 3, and finally a trinuclear copper(II) complex, 4. Compound 2 is characterized by PXRD owing to its transient nature, while 3 and 4 are characterized crystallographically. The final structure, 4, contains copper(II) trimers, and so its magnetic behavior is also investigated.