Phase Selection and Discovery among Five Assembly Modes in a Coordination Polymerization

The combination of zinc(II) nitrate with 1,3,5-(triscarboxyphenyl)benzene (H3BTB) leads to five different microporous coordination polymers (MCPs). Two of these were previously known (MOF-177 and MOF-39), whereas polymer-induced heteronucleation was used in the discovery of three phases that have not been previously reported (Zn/BTB ant, Zn/BTB tsx, and Zn/BTB dia). Modification of crystallization conditions allows for the bulk-scale synthesis of each of these MCPs. Zn/BTB ant and Zn/BTB tsx are each interpentrated 6,3-connected nets composed of the basic zinc carboxylate secondary building unit (SBU) and the tritopic linker BTB. The underlying noninterpenetrated net of Zn/BTB ant is derived for the net of anatase, whereas that of Zn/BTB tsx is the previously unreported “tsx” framework. Zn/BTB dia consists of an underlying diamondoid net in which four linear, trinuclear zinc hourglass SBUs are arranged about a central μ4-oxo anion as the tetrahedral unit in the net and BTB further links the hourglass SBUs. Zn/BTB ant, Zn/BTB tsx, and MOF-177 are here defined as polymorphic frameworks in that each is composed of the same SBU and linker but differ in topology and thus pore structure. These frameworks may be called a polyreticular series by analogy to several reported isoreticular series. The effect of linker−linker interactions are discussed.