Catalysis

Supramolecular chemistry

Conformational isomerism

Alkane

Carborane

Molecule

Stereochemistry

Combinatorial chemistry

Organic chemistry

Chemistry

Selectivity

Hydrocarbon

Pentane

Journal of the American Chemical Society

The specific recognition and separation of alkanes with similar molecular structures and close boiling points face significant scientific challenges and industrial demands. Here, rectangular carborane-based metallacycles were designed to selectively encapsulate n-pentane from n-pentane, iso-pentane, and cyclo-pentane mixtures in a simple-to-operate and more energy-efficient way. Metallacycle 1, bearing 1,2-di(4-pyridyl) ethylene, can selectively separate n-pentane from these three-component mixtures with a purity of 97%. The selectivity is ascribed to the capture of the preferred guest with matching size, C-H···π interactions, and potential B-Hδ-···Hδ+-C interactions. Besides, the removal of n-pentane gives rise to original guest-free carborane-based metallacycles, which can be recycled without losing performance. Considering the variety of substituted carborane derivatives, metal ions, and organic linkers, these new carborane-based supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs) may be broadly applicable to other challenging recognition and separation systems with good performance.

Synthesis of Carborane-Backbone Metallacycles for Highly Selective Capture of<i>n</i>-Pentane

Synthesis of Carborane-Backbone Metallacycles for Highly Selective Capture ofn-Pentane