Synthesis, crystal structure and photocatalytic properties of a three-dimensional copner(II) metal-organic framework based on 1,3,5-tris(2-methylimmazol-1-yl)benzene

A three-dimensional metal-organic framework, namely, poly[[bis(mu(3)-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylato)bis[mu(3)-1,3,5-tris(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)benzene]tricopper (II)] hexahydrate], {[Cu-3(C9H3O6)(2)(C18H18N6)(2)]center dot 6H(2)O}(n) or {[Cu(BTC)(2/3)(TMIB)(2/3)].-2H(2)O}(n), (I) [TMIB is 1,3,5-tris(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)benzene and H3BTC is benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid], has been synthesized under solvothermal conditions and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Compound (I) features an unusual three-dimensional (3,4)-connected 2-nodal net with {8(3)}(4){8(6)}(3) topology. Photocatalytic investigations indicate that (I) affords good photocatalytic capabilities in the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic mechanism is discussed.