Patent ID: 8367419

Claim:
A polymeric coordination compound capable of forming a microporous metal organic framework (MMOF), characterized by a plurality of layers comprising two-dimensional arrays of repeating structural units, each repeating structural unit comprising at least one transition metal atom or cation (M) coordinated to: at least one binding member of a bisphenyl-dicarboxylate (bpd) bidentate binding site on each of two polyfunctional ligands of formula (I): wherein L 1 is a bond, —CH 2 —, —CHR 1 —CHR 2 —, or —CR 1 ═CR 2 —, wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen (H), methyl, or ethyl group; one binding site of a bis-pyridine (bp) exodentate bridging ligand of formula (II): wherein L 2 is a —CH 2 —, —CHR 1 —CHR 2 —, or —CR 1 ═CR 2 —, wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen (H), methyl, or ethyl group; and said microporous framework has the stoichiometric formula [M 2 (bpd) 2 (bp)], optionally comprising one or more solvent molecules; wherein: (i) at least one binding member of a second bidentate binding site on each polyfunctional ligand is further coordinated to at least one transition metal atom in a different repeating structural unit within the same layer containing a two-dimensional array of repeating structural units; (ii) the bis-pyridine exodentate bridging ligand extends essentially perpendicularly from a plane defined by said layer containing a two-dimensional array of repeating structural units to further coordinate with a transition metal atom in a repeating structural unit in an adjacent layer; and (iii) the ligands of the three-dimensional MMOF define channels and pores of molecular size throughout the structure of the compound.