Study on catalytic performances of ZJU-64 series MOFs with acid-base sites for Knoevenagel condensation

• ZJU-64 series MOFs with different electron-donating groups were synthesized and used as catalysts for Knoevenagel condensation reaction. • ZJU-64 series MOFs displayed good conversion rates of Knoevenagel condensation reaction basing on benzaldehyde derivatives and malononitrile, proving the excellent adaptability and wide substrate compatibility. • ZJU-64-NH 2 showed excellent catalytic yield and revealed that the introduction of amino group could improve the catalytic performance of Zn-based MOFs. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) had unique advantages and attracted much attentions as catalysts for Knoevenagel condensation. In this work, ZJU-64 series MOFs (ZJU-64, ZJU-64-CH 3 and ZJU-64-NH 2 ) with acid-base sites were synthesized by solvothermal method and employed as heterogeneous catalysts for Knoevenagel condensation. The catalysts showed high catalytic yields in the reaction, which were directly affected by reaction temperature and time. The catalytic yield of ZJU-64 and ZJU-64-CH 3 at 75 °C for 1 hour was 96.92 % and 92.11 %, while that of ZJU-64-NH 2 was 97.76 %, displaying high catalytic yields. Furthermore, they remained activity in Knoevenagel condensation without significant degradation, indicating they were promising polyphase Knoevenagel condensation catalysts. ZJU-64-NH 2 showed excellent catalytic yield and revealed that the introduction of amino group could improve the catalytic performance of Zn-based MOFs. The ZJU-64 series MOFs with different electron-donating groups were synthesized. ZJU-64 series catalysts with acid-base sites showed excellent catalytic performances in Knoevenagel condensation.