Synthesis, crystal structure and photocatalytic properties of a three-dimensional copper(II) metal-organic framework based on 1,3,5-tris(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)benzene.

A three-dimensional metal-organic framework, namely, poly[[bis(μ-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylato)bis[μ-1,3,5-tris(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)benzene]tricopper(II)] hexahydrate], {[Cu(CHO)(CHN)]·6HO} or {[Cu(BTC)(TMIB)]·2HO}, (I) [TMIB is 1,3,5-tris(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)benzene and HBTC is benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid], has been synthesized under solvothermal conditions and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Compound (I) features an unusual three-dimensional (3,4)-connected 2-nodal net with {8}{8} topology. Photocatalytic investigations indicate that (I) affords good photocatalytic capabilities in the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic mechanism is discussed.