Co(II) coordinated metal-organic framework: An efficient catalyst for heterogeneous aerobic olefins epoxidation

•A novel MOF catalyst named as Co3InaBDC3 was designed and obtained.•The catalyst was finely elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction.•The catalyst with a rare 8-connected network and linear trinuclear Co cluster•The catalyst BET and pore volume were 1048.48 m2/g and 0.525 cm3/g.•In liquid phase epoxidation, a satisfactory TOF of 1370 was achieved.

An 8-connected, linear trinuclear cluster-based microporous metal organic framework (NH4)2[Co3(Ina)(BDC)3(HCOO)] (denoted as Co3InaBDC3, Ina = isonicotinate and BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate, CCDC is 935147) had been successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal synthesis method. The compound was extended through BDC linkers breadthwise and Ina linkers lengthways to the highly-connected framework. The Co3InaBDC3 was characterized through FT-IR, N2 adsorption, XRD, TGA and SEM, and its characteristic structure was elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Using O2 as oxidant, the Co3InaBDC3 was investigated as a good performed heterogeneous catalytic material for cyclooctene epoxidation. An extremely high turnover frequency (1370 h− 1) for epoxycyclooctane was achieved, and Co3InaBDC3 exhibited excellent stabilities in 5 recycles without any loss of its catalytic performance.

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