The synthesis and the crystal structure determination, using a synchrotron microdiffraction setup, of the interwoven analogue of the highly flexible iron(III) dicarboxylate MIL-88D structure are reported. Unlike its flexible counterpart, MIL-126, or Fe
III3O(H
2O)
2(OH)[(O
2C)-C
12H
8-(CO
2)]
3路
n(solv), exhibits a rigid structure with an accessible three dimensional (3D) pore system resulting in a Brunauer鈥揈mmett鈥揟eller (BET) surface area over 1700 m
2路g
鈥?. Moreover, a large amount of coordinatively unsaturated Fe sites of +2 and +3 oxidation states are accessible to NO and acetonitrile molecules as shown by infrared spectroscopy. MIL-126 might be thus used for the removal of aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds from fossil fuel streams, as shown here in the efficient capture of indole from model benzothiophene/indole mixtures in heptane/toluene.
Keywords:
metal鈭抩rganic framework; iron carboxylate; flexibility; interpenetration; acidity; infrared spectroscopy; purification