Although zeolites and related materials combine nanoporosity with high ther
mal stability, they are difficult to modify or derivatize in a systematic w
ay. A highly porous metal coordination polymer [Cu-3(TMA)(2)(H2O)(3)](n) (w
here TMA is benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) was formed in 80 percent yield. I
t has interconnected [Cu-2(O2CR)(4)] units (where R is an aromatic ring), w
hich create a three-dimensional system of channels with a pore size of 1 na
nometer and an accessible porosity of about 40 percent in the solid. Unlike
zeolites, the channel Linings can be chemically functionalized; for exampl
e, the aqua ligands can be replaced by pyridines. Thermal gravimetric analy
sis and high-temperature single-crystal diffractometry indicate that the fr
amework is stable up to 240 degrees C.