A Chiral Metal-Organic Framework Based on Heptanuclear Zinc Cores

Two zinc(II) complexes, [Zn-9(L1)(6)(H2O)(2)]center dot 13.5H(2)O (1) and [Zn-9(L2)(6)(H2O)(3)]center dot C2H5OH center dot 8.5H(2)O (2), were synthesized. Both 1 and 2 are constructed from molecular building units (MBUs) that contain heptanuclear zinc clusters as cores. By introducing an additional chiral site into the original ligand, we achieved the transformation of the MOF front a nonchiral to a chiral structure, which provides a new strategy for designing chiral compounds. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)