Rod packings and metal-organic frameworks constructed from rod-shaped secondary building units.

The principal structure possibilities for packing infinite rod-shaped building blocks are described. Some basic nets derived from linking simple rods (helices and ladders) are then enumerated. We demonstrate the usefulness of the concept of rod secondary building units in the design and synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Accordingly, we present the preparation, characterization, and crystal structures of 14 new MOFs (named MOF-69A-C and MOF-70-80) of 12 different structure types, belonging to rod packing motifs, and show how their structures are related to basic nets. The MOFs reported herein are of polytopic carboxylates and contain one of Zn, Pb, Co, Cd, Mn, or Tb. The inclusion properties of the most open members are presented as evidence that MOF structures with rod building blocks can indeed be designed to have permanent porosity and rigid architectures.