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For three-dimensional (3D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), the presence and nature of structural defects has been recognized as a key factor shaping the material's physical and chemical behavior. In this work, the formation of the "missing linker" defects has been addressed in the model biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate (bpdc)-based Zr MOF, UiO-67. The defect showed strong dependence on the nature of the modulator acid used in the MOF synthesis; the defects, in turn, were found to correlate with the MOF physical and chemical properties. The dynamic nature of the Zr6 (node)-monocarboxylate bond showed promise in defect functionalization and "healing", including the formation of X-ray-quality "defect-free" UiO-67 single crystals. Chemical transformations at defect sites have also been explored. The study was also extended to the isoreticular UiO-66 and UiO-68′ systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In heterogeneous catalysis, rates with Arrhenius-like temperature dependence are ubiquitous. Compensation phenomena, which arise from the linear correlation between the apparent activation energy and the logarithm of the apparent pre-exponential factor, are also common. Here, we study the origin of compensation and find a similar dependence on the rate-limiting surface coverage term for each Arrhenius parameter. This result is derived from an experimental determination of the surface coverage of oxygen and chlorine species using temporal analysis of products and prompt gamma activation analysis during HCl oxidation to Cl2 on a RuO2 catalyst. It is also substantiated by theory. We find that compensation phenomena appear when the effect on the apparent activation energy caused by changes in surface coverage is balanced out by the entropic configuration contributions of the surface. This result sets a new paradigm in understanding the interplay of compensation effects with the kinetics of heterogeneously catalysed processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]