Indium Metal-Organic Frameworks as High-Performance Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Synthesis of Amino Acid Derivatives

Indium metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were first used as recyclable heterogeneous Lewis acid catalysts for the synthesis of amino acid derivatives with excellent conversion yields. Moreover, exposed ether groups (Lewis basic sites) on the pore walls of In-MOF 2 could activate trimethylsilyl cyanide, forming hypervalent silicate intermediates, as proven by Si-29 NMR.