Hydrogen-Bonding and Metal-Ion-Mediated Self-Assembly of a Nanoporous Crystal Lattice

Hydrogen-bonding and metal-ion coordination are utilized to assemble a nanoporous crystal lattice. In the initial step of the assembly process, tecton 1 (4b,5,7,7a-tetrahydro-4b,7aepiminomethanoimino-6H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline-6,13-dione) forms an octahedrally coordinated secondary building block with FeII, which in the final step assembles through hydrogen-bonding interactions to a nanoporous network. The secondary building blocks hydrogen-bond such that ribbons with two-membered channels are formed. Sheets are generated through hydrogen-bonding of the ribbons, which results in four-membered channels. In the crystal, the sheets are stacked parallel to each other, which results in a three-dimensional porosity.