Taking organic reactions over metal-organic frameworks as heterogeneous catalysis

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline solids formed by inorganic clusters or metal ions (generally transition metal) linked by bi- or multifunctional organic ligands. Exploiting the advantages of the MOFs including large surface area, high metal content, and flexibility in designing the active sites, would be an innovative idea to make novel catalysts. This review gives a useful overview on the catalytic applications of MOFs regarding their structural developments toward catalyst fabrication. The catalytic applications cited in this review include the condensation of organic reaction of two or more components involved in a verity of reactions. More specifically, the review has explored the catalytic applications of MOFs in C-C and C-X (S, N, O) bond formation reactions leading to the formation of a more complicated compounds. The emphasis has been made on discussing the stability of the MOFs, their reusability and in providing a comparison of the performance of MOFs with respect to other homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.