Reaction of magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium salts with a range of dicarboxylic acids [benzene-1,4dicarboxylic acid (H 2 BDC), naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H 2 NDC), 4,5,9,10-tetrahydropyrene-2,7-dicarboxylic acid (H 2 TPDC), pyrene-2,7-dicarboxylic acid (H 2 PDC), 5,10-dihydroanthracene-2,7-dicarboxylic acid (H 2 DADC)] in N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) or N,N′-diethylformamide (DEF) in Teflon-lined stainless steel autoclaves produces a range of metal-organic framework materials. Single crystal X-ray analysis has confirmed that the predominant building block in these materials is a chain of metal centers bridged either by carboxylate moieties alone as in [M(DMF)(µ-BDC)] ∞ (M ) Mg or Sr), [Ca 1.5 (DEF)(µ-BDC) 1.5 ] ∞ , and [Sr(DEF)(OH 2 )(µ-BDC)] ∞ or bridged by both carboxylate ligands and DMF/DEF molecules as in [M(µ-DMF)(µ-NDC)] ∞ (M ) Ca, Sr, or Ba), [M(µ-DEF)(µ-TPDC)] ∞ (M ) Ca or Sr), [M(µ-DMF)(µ-DADC)] ∞ (M ) Ca or Sr), and [Sr(µ-DEF)(µ-PDC)] ∞ . In contrast, the isomorphous complexes [Mg 3 (DMF) 4 (µ-NDC) 3 ] ∞ and [Mg 3 (DEF) 4 (µ-NDC) 3 ] ∞ contain centrosymmetric trinuclear moieties in which each pair of cations is bridged by three carboxylate anions with two pendant solvent molecules coordinated to each of the terminal Mg 2+ cations. These trinuclear building blocks act as six-connected nodes and generate a tilted R-Po type structure. Eleven of the 12 structures based upon cationic chains adopt a common extended architecture in which the aryldicarboxylate anions link the chains to generate diamond-shaped channels. However, in the material [Sr(DMF)(µ-BDC)] ∞ , the chains are linked to generate a hexagonal motif of triangular channels. In all 12 compounds based on cationic chains, the space within the channels is occupied by coordinated solvent molecules, leading to nonporous materials.
