From Coordinatively Weak Ability of Constituents to Very Stable Alkaline-Earth Sulfonate Metal-Organic Frameworks

Four new compounds based on alkaline-earth elements ions and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (2,6-AQDS) ligand were obtained and characterized: AEPF-2 is the first metal-organic framework (MOP) Mg-based disulfonate, in which the ligand directly coordinates with Mg(2+) ions to build a two-dimensional net; AEPF-3, AEPF-4, and AEPF-5 for Ca(II), Sr(II), and Ba(II) ions, respectively, have different three-dimensional structural types and two new topologies. The catalytic behavior of these alkaline-earth materials in alkenes hydrogenation and ketones hydrosilylation reactions makes them cheap and environmentally friendly promising catalysts: in all cases, 100% selectivity was achieved toward ethylbenzene, in contrast with the behavior previously reported with calcium and strontium homogeneous catalysts. The high thermal stability (up to 500 degrees C) is to he emphasized for all these materials.