Protection and deprotection approach for the introduction of functional groups into metal-organic frameworks.

A noncoordinating hydroxyl group was introduced into a metal-organic framework (MOF) by a procedure involving a protection, complexation, and deprotection (PCD) reaction sequence, and the crystal structure of a novel MOF, [Zn(dhybdc)(bpy)] x 4 DMF (1), was determined. 1 did not have an interpenetrated structure. The three-dimensional pores had large apertures.