The capture of CO2 by MOFs from post-combustion gas mixtures has been proposed to reduce...

The capture of CO₂ by MOFs from post-combustion gas mixtures has been proposed to reduce CO₂ emissions from coal-fired power plants. The challenge is to engineer MOFs that will selectively adsorb CO₂ from these mixtures at relatively low temperatures and pressures, and subsequently permit facile CO₂ removal to regenerate the MOF for re- se. Describe the synthetic strategy used in T.

M. McDonald, W. R. Lee, J. A. Mason, B. M. Wiers, C. S. Hong, J. R. Long, J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 2012 , 134 , 7056 to prepare MOFs with excellent CO₂ adsorption capability. Why do these MOFs require “activation,” and how is this carried out? Why were early attempts with M₂(dobdc) likely unsuccessful, and how did this inform the design of a new MOF linker?