Structural elucidation of the mechanism of molecular recognition in chiral crystalline sponges.

To gain insight into chiral recognition in porous materials we have prepared a family of fourth generation chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that have rigid frameworks and adaptable (flexible) pores. The previously reported parent material, [Co-2(S-mandelate)(2)(4,4 '-bipyridine)(3)](NO3)(2), CMOM-1S, is a modular MOF; five new variants in which counterions (BF4-, CMOM-2S) or mandelate ligands are substituted (2-Cl, CMOM-11R; 3-Cl, CMOM-21R; 4-Cl, CMOM-31R; 4-CH3, CMOM-41R) and the existing CF(3)SO(3)(-)variant CMOM-3Sare studied herein. Fine-tuning of pore size, shape, and chemistry afforded a series of distinct host-guest binding sites with variable chiral separation properties with respect to three structural isomers of phenylpropanol. Structural analysis of the resulting crystalline sponge phases revealed that host-guest interactions, guest-guest interactions, and pore adaptability collectively determine chiral discrimination.