Separation of Hydrocarbons with a Microporous Metal–Organic Framework

Separating the wheat from the chaff: The microporous metal–organic framework (MMOF) of Cu(hfipbb)(H2hfipbb)0.5 is based on a bimetallic paddle-wheel building block and comprises 1D tubular microchannels formed by the interpenetration of two identical 44 nets. The channels are hydrophobic and have the ideal size and shape to selectively adsorb C2, C3, and n-C4 olefins and alkanes (see picture).