Harnessing Lewis acidic open metal sites of metal-organic frameworks: the foremost route to achieve highly selective benzene sorption over cyclohexane

pi-Complexation triggered Lewis acid-base interactions between open metal sites (OMS) of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and pi-e(-) rich adsorptive benzene (Bz) is exploited to establish M-MOF-74 as the best Bz-selective MOF sorbent, marking the first report of utilizing OMS behind benzene/cyclohexane separation; a key advance from the energy-economy standpoint of industrial separation.