Lanthanide metal-organic frameworks containing a novel flexible ligand for luminescence sensing of small organic molecules and selective adsorption

Five lanthanide metal-organic frameworks, [Ln(L)(H2O)(NMP)]center dot 1.5H(2)O (Ln = Ce (1), Pr (2); H3L = 1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene), and [Ln(2)(L)(2)(H2O)(3)]center dot 2H(2)O (Ln = Eu (3), Tm (4), Yb (5)), have been synthesized and characterized. Complexes 1-5 exhibit similar 1D channels through the linkage of Ln-carboxylate chains with the backbones of H3L ligands. The channels for complexes 1 and 2 are occupied by coordinated NMP molecules. 3 shows potential application for the luminescence sensing of small organic molecules. Moreover, 5 exhibits selective adsorption of CO2 over N-2 and CH4 and catalytic activities toward the cyanosilylation reaction.