Here, we present a new ultramicroporous Cu paddlewheel based MOF. This ultramicroporous MOF has most of the features such as porosity (BET surface area = 945 m/g), CO capacity (3.5 mmol/g at ambient temperature and pressure), CO/N selectivity (sCO/N = 250), and fast CO diffusion kinetics ( D = 2.25 × 10 m/s), comparable to some of the other high-performing ultramicroporous MOFs, with strong binding sites. Typically, such MOFs exhibit strong CO-framework interactions (evidenced from a heat of adsorption ≥ 38 kJ/mol). However, the MOF explained here, despite having channels lined by the amine and the open-metal sites, possesses only a moderate CO-framework interaction (HOA = 26 kJ/mol). Using periodic DFT, we have probed this counterintuitive observation.

Two new approaches for the synthesis of natural product piperodione, secondary metabolite have been achieved. Hitherto, unknown and easily accessible piperidine and morpholine based a-ketoamide phosphoranes obtained from pyruvic acid have served as key building blocks for synthesis based on Wittig reaction. The alkylation of b-keto esters with 3-bromo derivative of pyruvic acid amides has been equally successful. Both the developed routes have enabled access to several new analogues of piperodione, opening up opportunities for systematic structure activity relationships studies during evaluation of biological activity.