Controlled Exchange of Achiral Linkers with Chiral Linkers in Zr-Based UiO-68 Metal–Organic Framework

The development of highly robust heterogeneous catalysts for broad asymmetric reactions has always been a subject of interest, but it remains a synthetic challenge. Here we demonstrated that highly stable metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with potentially acid-labile chiral catalysts can be synthesized via postsynthetic exchange. Through a one- or two-step ligand exchange, a series of asymmetric metallosalen catalysts with the same or different metal centers are incorporated into a Zr-based UiO-68 MOF to form single- and mixed-M(salen) linker crystals, which cannot be accomplished by direct solvothermal synthesis. The resulting MOFs have been characterized by a variety of techniques including single-crystal X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, CD, and SEM/TEM-EDS mapping. The single-M(salen) linker MOFs are active and efficient catalysts for asymmetric cyanosilylation of aldehydes, ring-opening of epoxides, oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols, and aminolysis of stilbene oxide, and the mixed-M(salen) linker variants are active for sequential asymmetric alkene epoxidation/epoxide ring-opening reactions. The chiral MOF catalysts are highly enantioselective and completely heterogeneous and recyclable, making them attractive catalysts for eco-friendly synthesis of fine chemicals. This work not only advances UiO-type MOFs as a new platform for heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis in a variety of syntheses but also provides an attractive strategy for designing robust and versatile heterogeneous catalysts.