A Microporous Metal–Organic Framework for Highly Selective Separation of Acetylene, Ethylene, and Ethane from Methane at Room Temperature

A novel three-dimensional microporous metal-organic framework Zn(4)L(DMA)(4) (UTSA-33, H(8) L=1,2,4,5-tetra(5-isophthalic acid)benzene, DMA=N,N'-dimethylacetamide) with small pores of about 4.8 to 6.5 Å was synthesized and structurally characterized as a non-interpenetrated (4,8)-connected network with the flu topology (Schläfli symbol: (4(12)6(12)8(4))(4(6))(2)). The activated UTSA-33a exhibits highly selective separation of acetylene, ethylene, and ethane from methane with the adsorption selectivities of 12 to 20 at 296 K, which has been established exclusively by the sorption isotherms and simulated breakthrough experiments, thus methane can be readily separated from their binary and even ternary mixtures at room temperature.