Molecular Scaffolding of Prussian Blue Analogues Using a Phenanthroline-Extended Triptycene Ligand

Shape-persistent ligands with triptycene groups are promising candidates for the development of porous metal–organic frameworks with functional surface area. In this work, a series of phenanthroline-extended triptycene compounds was synthesized and used as structure-directing ligands for the fabrication of a triptycene-scaffolded Prussian blue analogue. The ligands were reacted with K3[Fe(CN)6] and CuCl2 under hydrothermal conditions to afford two new clathrates: a coordination compound of (triptycenyl phenanthroline) copper(I) and an infinite one-dimensional zigzag coordination polymer of copper cyanide scaffolded by phenanthroline-extended triptycenes. These structures illustrate the potential for the triptycene-functionalized ligands to provide access to materials with interesting architectures.