Cucurbituril-Shaped Cd(triazolate) Unit-Based Metal-Organic Framework Exhibiting an CH/CO Separation Ability.

Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF), {[(MeNH)][Cd(HO)][Cd(TrZ)(TPD)(DMF)]} (denoted as JXNU-18, TrZ = triazolate), constructed from the unique cucurbituril-shaped Cd(TrZ) secondary building units bridged by 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic (TPD) ligands, is presented. The formation of the cucurbituril-shaped Cd(TrZ) unit is unprecedented, demonstrating the geometric compatibility of the organic linkers and the coordination configurations of the cadmium atoms. Each Cd(TrZ) unit is connected to eight neighboring Cd(TrZ) units through 30 TPD linkers, affording the three-dimensional structure of JXNU-18.