A Porous Metal-Organic Framework [Zn₂(bdc)(l-lac)] as a Coating Material for Capillary Columns of Gas Chromatography

The wide diversity in the structure, pore size, high surface area, adsorption affinity, and selective penetration renders metal-organic frameworks (MOF) attractive as highly efficient adsorbents for chromatographic separation. We report the results of chromatographic separation of four families of biochemically important compounds, viz., linear alkyl hydrocarbons (aldehyde, acid, and ketone), aromatic hydrocarbons (aldehyde, acid, and alcohol), cyclic hydrocarbons (ketone, alcohol, and ester) and aromatic hydrocarbons (ether, ester, and ester with alcohol) with two phenyls, employing the porous MOF [Zn₂(bdc)(l-lac)] (l-lac = l-lactate; bdc = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) as the retention material of the capillary column. Its good performance relies on the robustness and chemical and thermal stability of the framework, the permanent porosity, and, most importantly, the host-guest interaction sites. The results from this work will also help in understanding the intermolecular forces based on host-guest interaction between the MOF and analytes.