The stepwise substitution in the hierarchical building of {Co11Cd6} cluster-based MOFs from {Co14} precursor

The controllable construction of sophisticated aggregation is an exciting point in assembly chemistry. In this study, a heterometallic aggregation of {Co11Cd6} cluster-based MOFs can be hierarchically built from {Co-14} precursors with the {Co-4 subset of Co-4 subset of Co-6} skeleton directly. The time-dependent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) technique was used to track the stepwise Cd(2+)capture, and a multi-step hierarchical assembly route was proposed along with the gradual splitting of this {Co11Cd6} aggregation: {Co-14} -> {Co-8} -> {Co8Cd2} -> {Co8Cd3} -> {Co8Cd4} -> {Co8Cd5} -> {Co8Cd6} -> {Co11Cd6}.