Metal-Organic Frameworks as a New Platform for Enantioselective Separations

The enantioselective separation of racemic mixtures is highly important in the pharmaceutical, food and agrochemical sector. Metal-organic frameworks, as a class of highly porous materials are emerging as highly efficient and selective platforms for chiral recognition and separation owing to their ultrahigh porosities, functionalized pore walls, controllable pore chemistry and presence of highly ordered chiral recognition sites. In this review, we summarize the progress made in the synthesis of chiral MOFs via direct and indirect methods, followed by their applications in some important chiral separations of alcohols, drugs, amino acids, biologically relevant molecules and important chiral organic mixtures. The developments in chiral MOF membranes as thin films for practical industrial use are also explored. Finally, the outlook for the MOFs as emerging platforms for enantioseparation and the future directions are discussed.

Automated summary

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are being used as efficient platforms for chiral recognition and separation due to their unique properties such as high porosity, functionalized pore walls, controllable pore chemistry, and ordered chiral recognition sites. Research has shown that synthesis of chiral MOFs and their applications in important chiral separations like alcohols, drugs, amino acids, and biologically relevant molecules have been successful. Additionally, the development of chiral MOF membranes as thin films for practical industrial use is also being explored, along with future directions for MOFs as platforms for enantioseparation.