Selective Separation of Aliphatic Nitriles by Employing a Two-Dimensional Interdigitated Coordination Polymer.

A room-temperature slow diffusion reaction of the metal nitrates [M=Zn and Co ] with 5-azido isophthalic acid (AIPA) and 1,4-bis(4-pyridyl)-2,3-diaza-1,3-butadiene (BPDB) resulted in a new two-dimensional interdigitated coordination polymer, [M(C H N O )(C H N )]⋅DMF [DMF=dimethyl formamide (C H NO)]. The non-bonded DMF molecules were found to exchange through a single-crystal to single-crystal (SCSC) fashion with many aliphatic nitrile compounds. More importantly, the present compound, I⋅DMF(Zn) appears to absorb cis-crotononitrile selectively from the cis/trans mixture as well as a mixture containing the structural isomer (allylnitrile). It also preferentially absorbs propionitrile from an equimolar mixture of acetonitrile, propionitrile, and butyronitrile (1:2:1). The cobalt compound exhibits anti-ferromagnetic behavior.