Distinctive Three-Step Hysteretic Sorption of Ethane with In Situ Crystallographic Visualization of the Pore Forms in a Soft Porous Crystal

A soft porous Zn­(II)–MOF
(1) displays distinctive
three-step hysteretic breathing behavior under ethane gas pressure
at ambient temperatures. In situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction
analysis was carried out at 298 K using an environmental gas cell
in order to elucidate the different porous forms of the breathing
framework under ethane gas. The three different phases were further
characterized by pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry
and variable pressure powder X-ray diffraction analysis.