Triplet Carbene with Highly Enhanced Thermal Stability in the Nanospace of a Metal–Organic Framework

Abstract

Triplet carbenes (TCs) are of great interest due to their magnetic properties and reactivity, which descend from TCs’ unique electronic state. However, the reactivity and stability of TCs are usually a trade-off, and it is difficult to achieve both at the same time. In this work, we were able to enhance the thermal stability of a TC species while maintaining its reactivity by confining them in the nanospace of a metal–organic framework (MOF). We synthesized a new MOF using a TC precursor; subsequently, TCs were generated by photostimulation. The TCs generated in the MOF nanospace were detectable up to 170 K, whereas their non-MOF-confined counterparts (bare ligand) could not be detected above 100 K. In addition, the reactivity of TC generated in MOF with O2 was drastically improved compared to that of bare ligand. Our approach is generally applicable to the stabilization of highly reactive species, whose reactivity needs to be preserved.