Selective Cu and Ni-MOFs as pre-catalysts for the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol.

In this work, we report the design of one-dimensional (1D) metal-organic framework containing Cu(II) and Ni(II) active sites using a ,'-bis-(4-pyridyl)isophthalamide linker to form MOF 1 [Cu(L1)(NO)·DMF] and MOF 2 [NiL1Cl]. The MOFs were evaluated as heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. MOF 2 catalyst showed impressive performance with conversion of FF (81%) and selectivity towards FA (100%).

Pressure-Induced Spin Crossover at Room Temperature in a Nanoporous Host-Guest Framework Structure.

The two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework compound Fe (azpy) (NCS) (azpy=trans-4,4'-azopyridine, NCS=thiocyanate) has been pressurized in isopropanol and ethanol that act as guest molecules and pressure-transmitting media. Room temperature conversion of metal-ion sites from high-spin to low-spin states under high-pressure-driven uptake of guest molecules was investigated. Upon isopropanol guest inclusion, spin conversion of ∼66 % low-spin abundance is attained by ∼3 GPa.