A potential organic linker for switchable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been synthesized from the reaction of the tropylium ion with diethyl iminodiacetate and subsequent conversion to the dioic acid. MOF’s have traditionally been important as a class of static porous materials for molecular storage, purification, and targeted release of stored molecules. This work contributes to a recent movement toward dynamic or switchable organic linkers for more versatile MOF materials. These so-called “molecular switches” are molecules which can reversibly toggle between two structures or states in response to an external stimulus. The present 2-cycloheptatrienyl iminodioic acid linker is theoretically switchable within a MOF by pH modification and/or oxidation of the modified cycloheptatrienyl linker back to the aromatic tropylium ion. Synthetic challenges and progress toward incorporation of this switchable linker into a novel MOF are discussed.

Synthesis of 2-cycloheptatrienyl iminodioic acid, a potential switchable organic linker for Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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