No abstract

Palladium nanoparticles have been immobilized into an amino-functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF), MIL-101Cr-NH 2 , to form Pd@MIL-101Cr-NH 2 . Four materials with different loadings of palladium have been prepared (denoted as 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16 wt %Pd@MIL-101Cr-NH 2 ). The effects of catalyst loading and the size and distribution of the Pd nanoparticles on the catalytic performance have been studied. The catalysts were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), N 2 -sorption isotherms, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To better characterize the palladium nanoparticles and their distribution in MIL-101Cr-NH 2 , electron tomography was employed to reconstruct the 3D volume of 8 wt %Pd@MIL-101Cr-NH 2 particles. The pair distribution functions (PDFs) of the samples were extracted from total scattering experiments using high-energy X-rays (60 keV). The catalytic activity of the four MOF materials with different loadings of palladium nanoparticles was studied in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. The best catalytic performance was obtained with the MOF that contained 8 wt % palladium nanoparticles. The metallic palladium nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed, with an average size of 2.6 nm. Excellent yields were obtained for a wide scope of substrates under remarkably mild conditions (water, aerobic conditions, room temperature, catalyst loading as low as 0.15 mol %). The material can be recycled at least 10 times without alteration of its catalytic properties.

A mild base-catalyzed strategy for the isomerization of allylic alcohols and allylic ethers has been developed. Experimental and computational investigations indicate that transition metal catalysts are not required when basic additives are present. As in the case of using transition metals under basic conditions, the isomerization catalyzed solely by base also follows a stereospecific pathway. The reaction is initiated by a rate-limiting deprotonation. Formation of an intimate ion pair between an allylic anion and the conjugate acid of the base results in efficient transfer of chirality. Through this mechanism, stereochemical information contained in the allylic alcohols is transferred to the ketone products. The stereospecific isomerization is also applicable for the first time to allylic ethers, yielding synthetically valuable enantioenriched (up to 97% ee) enol ethers.

A series of highly porous isoreticular lanthanidebased metal−organic frameworks (LnMOFs) denoted as SUMOF-7I to SUMOF-7IV (SU = Stockholm University; Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd) have been synthesized using tritopic carboxylates as the organic linkers. The SUMOF-7 materials display one-dimensional pseudohexagonal channels with the pore diameter gradually enlarged from 8.4 to 23.9 Å, as a result of increasing sizes of the organic linkers. The structures have been solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction or rotation electron diffraction (RED) combined with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The SUMOF-7 materials exhibit robust architectures with permanent porosity. More importantly, they exhibit exceptionally high thermal and chemical stability. We show that, by inclusion of organic dye molecules, the luminescence properties of the MOFs can be elaborated and modulated, leading to promising applications in sensing and optics.

A diverse set of more than 40 highly functionalized biaryls was synthesized successfully through the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction catalyzed by Pd nanoparticles supported in a functionalized mesoporous MOF (8 wt % Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2). This could be achieved under some of the mildest conditions reported to date and a strong control over the leaching of metallic species could be maintained, despite the presence of diverse functional groups and/or several heteroatoms. Some of the targeted molecules are important intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and we clearly exemplify the versatility of this catalytic system, which affords better yields than currently existing commercial procedures. Most importantly, Pd@MIL‐101‐NH2 was packed in a micro‐flow reactor, which represents the first report of metallic nanoparticles supported on MOFs employed in flow chemistry for catalytic applications. A small library of 11 isolated compounds was created in a continuous experiment without replacing the catalyst, demonstrating the potential of the catalyst for large‐scale applications.

This is the accepted version of a paper published in ACS Catalysis. This paper has been peerreviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination.

The chemical stability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a major factor preventing their use in industrial processes. Herein, it is shown that judicious choice of the base for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction can avoid decomposition of the MOF catalyst Pd@MIL-101-NH2 (Cr). Four bases were compared for the reaction: K2 CO3 , KF, Cs2 CO3 and CsF. The carbonates were the most active and achieved excellent yields in shorter reaction times than the fluorides. However, powder XRD and N2 sorption measurements showed that the MOF catalyst was degraded when carbonates were used but remained crystalline and porous with the fluorides. XANES measurements revealed that the trimeric chromium cluster of Pd@MIL-101-NH2 (Cr) is still present in the degraded MOF. In addition, the different countercations of the base significantly affected the catalytic activity of the material. TEM revealed that after several catalytic runs many of the Pd nanoparticles (NPs) had migrated to the external surface of the MOF particles and formed larger aggregates. The Pd NPs were larger after catalysis with caesium bases compared to potassium bases.

The synthesis of a metal-organic framework (UiO-67) functionalised simultaneously with two different transition metal complexes (Ir and Pd or Rh) through a one-pot procedure is reported for the first time. This has been achieved by an iterative modification of the synthesis parameters combined with characterisation of the resulting materials using different techniques, including X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The method also allows the first synthesis of UiO-67 with a very wide range of loadings (from 4 to 43 mol %) of an iridium complex ([IrCp*(bpydc)(Cl)Cl] 2À ; bpydc = 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarboxylate, Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) through a pre-functionalisation methodology.