Metal Acetylacetonates as a Source of Metals for Aqueous Synthesis of Metal–Organic Frameworks

Demand continues for environmentally sound, high-yielding processes for the large-scale production of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Here we describe the use of metal acetylacetonate complexes as an alternative source of metals for the aqueous synthesis of MOFs. We have synthesized several carboxylate-based Zr(IV)-(UiO-66-NH2, Zr-fumarate, UiO-66-(OH)2, UiO-66-COOH and UiO-66-(COOH)2), Fe(III)-(MIL-88A) and Al(III)-(CAU-10) porous MOFs from their corresponding metal acetylacetonates in good yields (typically >85%) and, in some cases, at room temperature.