A flexible MOF formed from Cu^II and 2,3-di-hydroxy-terephthalic acid

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an exciting class of porous materials with applications in many fields. To find the optimal MOF for every application it is important to synthesize new materials to find those with the desirable properties. Here we present a MOF based on Cu^II and 2,3-di-hydroxy-terephthalate, whose structure in both fully solvated and partially desolvated forms, namely, poly[[tri-aqua-(μ-2,3-di-hydroxy-terephthalato)(μ-2,3-dioxido-terephthalato)tricopper(II)] monohydrate], {[Cu₃(C₈H₂O₆)(C₈H₄O₆)(H₂O)₃]·H₂O} _n , and poly[[di-aqua-(μ-2,3-di-hydroxy-terephthalato)(μ-2,3-dioxidoterephthalato)tricopper(II)] ethanol monosolvate monohydrate] {[Cu₃(C₈H₂O₆)(C₈H₄O₆)(H₂O)₂]·C₂H₅OH·H₂O} _n , has been solved with single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It shows one-dimensional hexa-gonal channels and a flexible behaviour in response to changes in solvation.