Selective gas adsorption in microporous metal-organic frameworks incorporating urotropine basic sites: an experimental and theoretical study.

The sorption of CO, CO2 and C2H2 by two urotropine-containing porous metal-organic framework materials [Zn4(dmf)(ur)2(ndc)4] (H2ndc = 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid; ur = urotropine; dmf = dimethylformamide) and [Zn11(H2O)2(ur)4(bpdc)11] (H4bpdc = 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid) incorporating free N-donors has been investigated. These materials show pronounced affinity for CO2 and C2H2, and these observations are supported by interaction energy and ab initio DFT calculations.