Metal-organic frameworks derived from chalcone dicarboxylic acid: New topological characters and initial catalytic properties.

[Display omitted] • Two metal–organic frameworks, [Ag 2 L(bpy) 0.5 ] n (1) and [CoL(bpy)] n (2), were successfully obtained by coordinating chalcone dicarboxylic acid (H 2 L)/4,4′-bipyridine (bpy) with metal ions Ag+, Co2+. • Both compounds are multi-nuclear cluster structures and new topological structures have been observed. • As Ag ions in 1 is unsaturated coordination, its initial catatlytic property has been explored and meanwhile, 2 has a three-dimensional pore structure. Two metal–organic frameworks, [Ag 2 L(bpy) 0.5 ] n (1) and [CoL(bpy)] n (2), were successfully assembled through mixed-ligands strategy with different metal resource. Remarkably, both MOFs manifest multi-nuclear metal units as nodes and diverse topological structures. Compound 1 is an infinite two-dimensional layer structure with unsaturated four-nuclear silver unit nodes. While compound 2 exhibits a novel three-dimensional structure. The heterogeneous catalysis efficiency of the MOFs towards cycloaddition of N -methyl propargylamine with CO 2 has been explored, and compound 1 displays higher catalytic activity derived from bare Lewis acid silver active site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]