Cu(2)[o-Br-C(6)H(3)(CO(2))(2)](2)(H(2)O)(2).(DMF)(8)(H(2)O)(2): a framework deliberately designed to have the NbO structure type.

The synthesis of an NbO-type metal-organic framework was achieved by design: o-Br-BDC (BDC = benzenedicarboxylate) was used to direct the formation of Cu2(CO2)4 paddle wheel units at 90 degrees to each other and thus yield the target network. The compound was formulated as Cu2[o-Br-BDC]2(H2O)2.(DMF)8(H2O)2 (MOF-101) and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction [cubic, space group Imm (No. 229) with a = 21.607(3) A, V = 10088(2) A3, Z = 6], which fully confirmed the presence of the expected structure. Despite having very large apertures and voids, MOF-101 has a noninterpenetrated structure, an intriguing observation that is discussed in the context of dual structures.