3,3′-Bipyridine and N-Alkyl Glycinates as Building Blocks for Cu-Based Bio-Inspired MOFs
6 affiliations
- 1University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- 2Department of Membrane Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
- 3Institute for Sustainable and Circular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
- 4Laboratory for Magnetic Resonances, Division of Physical Chemistry, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijeničkacesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- 5LCC-CNRS (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 Route de Narbonne, BP44099, CEDEX 4, 31077 Toulouse, France
- 6Department of Chemistry, IUT Toulouse, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée du Martinet, 81100 Castres, France
Abstract
Bio-inspired metal–organic frameworks have attracted considerable attention due to their structural versatility and potential applications in catalysis, sensing, and drug delivery. We report the synthesis, structural elucidation, thermal behaviour, and catalytic properties of the first copper(II)-based coordination polymers constructed from 3,3′-bipyridine and N-alkylated glycine derivatives. SCXRD showed that all compounds {[Cu(μ-MeGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·DMF·0.5H2O}n (1a), {[Cu(μ-MeGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·solvate}n (1b), {[Cu(μ-EtGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·DMF·0.5H2O}n (2a), and {[Cu(μ-EtGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·solvate}n (2b), (3,3′-bpy = 3,3′-bipyridine; MeGly = N-methylglycine; EtGly = N-ethylglycine) form three-dimensional coordination networks in which Cu(II) centres are interconnected through donor N-alkylated glycinate and 3,3′-bipyridine linkers. Bulk-phase characterisation confirmed the reproducible formation of 1a and 2b, while instability and solvent loss limited the isolation and characterisation of 2a and 1b. The bulk materials of 1a and 2b were further characterised by PXRD and 1a by FTIR, ESR, SEM/EDS, TGA, simultaneous TGA-FTIR and CHN analysis. Catalytic studies of compound 1a demonstrated moderate-to-high activity in the oxidation of cyclooctene, linalool, limonene, and cyclohexane. The catalytic results suggest that 1a acts as a precatalyst, with the catalytically active species potentially forming under the reaction conditions; thus, the observed activity cannot necessarily be attributed to the intact MOF structure. These findings establish N-alkylated glycine derivatives as promising bio-inspired building blocks for the design of Cu-based MOFs and provide valuable insight into structure–property relationships and the potential role in catalysis.
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BibTeX
@article{vusak202633bipyridine,
title = {{3,3′-Bipyridine and N-Alkyl Glycinates as Building Blocks for Cu-Based Bio-Inspired MOFs}},
author = {Darko Vušak and Mia Jurković and Katarina Ležaić and David Kučera-Čavara and Dijana Žilić and Željka Soldin and Dominique Agustin and Josipa Sarjanović and Jana Pisk and Biserka Prugovečki},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18212698},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2698},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - 3,3′-Bipyridine and N-Alkyl Glycinates as Building Blocks for Cu-Based Bio-Inspired MOFs
AU - Darko Vušak
AU - Mia Jurković
AU - Katarina Ležaić
AU - David Kučera-Čavara
AU - Dijana Žilić
AU - Željka Soldin
AU - Dominique Agustin
AU - Josipa Sarjanović
AU - Jana Pisk
AU - Biserka Prugovečki
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18212698
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2698
AB - Bio-inspired metal–organic frameworks have attracted considerable attention due to their structural versatility and potential applications in catalysis, sensing, and drug delivery. We report the synthesis, structural elucidation, thermal behaviour, and catalytic properties of the first copper(II)-based coordination polymers constructed from 3,3′-bipyridine and N-alkylated glycine derivatives. SCXRD showed that all compounds {[Cu(μ-MeGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·DMF·0.5H2O}n (1a), {[Cu(μ-MeGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·solvate}n (1b), {[Cu(μ-EtGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·DMF·0.5H2O}n (2a), and {[Cu(μ-EtGly)(NO3)(μ-3,3′-bpy)]·solvate}n (2b), (3,3′-bpy = 3,3′-bipyridine; MeGly = N-methylglycine; EtGly = N-ethylglycine) form three-dimensional coordination networks in which Cu(II) centres are interconnected through donor N-alkylated glycinate and 3,3′-bipyridine linkers. Bulk-phase characterisation confirmed the reproducible formation of 1a and 2b, while instability and solvent loss limited the isolation and characterisation of 2a and 1b. The bulk materials of 1a and 2b were further characterised by PXRD and 1a by FTIR, ESR, SEM/EDS, TGA, simultaneous TGA-FTIR and CHN analysis. Catalytic studies of compound 1a demonstrated moderate-to-high activity in the oxidation of cyclooctene, linalool, limonene, and cyclohexane. The catalytic results suggest that 1a acts as a precatalyst, with the catalytically active species potentially forming under the reaction conditions; thus, the observed activity cannot necessarily be attributed to the intact MOF structure. These findings establish N-alkylated glycine derivatives as promising bio-inspired building blocks for the design of Cu-based MOFs and provide valuable insight into structure–property relationships and the potential role in catalysis.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -