Postsynthetic N-methylation making a metal–organic framework responsive to alkylamines.

The postsynthetically created electron-deficient 2,2′-bipyridinium moieties in a Zr-MOF provide charge-transfer interacting sites for recognizing and capturing alkylamines with excellent selectivity; meanwhile the MOF shows fast and reversible vapochromism and luminescence quenching in response to alkyamines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]