Heme-Like Coordination Chemistry Within Nanoporous Molecular Crystals

Iron Exposure The macrocyclic heme motif coordinates iron ions in proteins and plays a widespread role in biochemical oxidative catalysis. Bezzu et al. (p. 1627 ) prepared crystals in which analogous iron-centered macrocycles were aligned in pairs. The outer faces of the pairs exposed the iron ions to vacant cavities, where ligand exchange could take place; the inner faces were bound together by rigid bridging ligands lending the crystals structural integrity. The stability and high porosity of these crystals lend themselves to potential catalytic applications.