Pore size-controlled gases and alcohols separation within ultramicroporous homochiral lanthanide-organic frameworks

A novel homochiral ultramicroporous lanthanide-organic framework, Ce(BTB)(H2O) (1) (H3BTB = 1,3,5-benzenetrisbenzoic acid), with high surface area and two types of open ultramicropores has been synthesized under solvothermal condition, which exhibits an unusual stepwise hysteretic adsorption of O-2 and N-2 at 77 K and high-efficiency gas separations of CO2/N-2 and CH4/N-2 at 273 K. The ultramicropores of 1 lead to an unprecedented separation of the propanol isomers due to the slight differences of their geometry and dipole moments. Furthermore, the method for calculating the surface-area and gas separation for 1 is summarized. These will provide a general methodology that can be employed to simulate the surface area and gas separation properties of ultramicroporous materials.