Microporous chiral metal coordination polymers: hydrothermal synthesis, channel engineering and stability of lanthanide tartrates

L-Tartrate ions can endure hydrothermal conditions up to 160 degrees C to form the robust, enantiopure open-framework coordination polymers [Ln(2)(L-TAR)(3)(H2O)(2)](3)H2O, 1; the addition of succinate results in formation of the related [Ln(2)(L-TAR)(2)(SUC)(H2O)(2)]5.5H(2)O, 2 with larger channels than 1, whereas racemic D/L-tartrate gives the more condensed [Ln(2)(D/L-TAR)(3)(H2O)(2)],3. TAR = [C4H4O6](2-).