A urea-containing metal-organic framework as a multifunctional heterogeneous hydrogen bond-donating catalyst

A urea-containing metal-organic framework (MOF) was synthesized from a V-shaped dicarboxylate ligand and Cu(II) ions. As the undesirable self-aggregation of the urea moiety has been prohibited in the framework, this MOF can act as a heterogeneous hydrogen bond-donating (HBD) catalyst, which accelerates the cyanosilylation reaction of aldehydes, the Henry reaction of aldehydes, and the methanolysis reaction of epoxides. It also displays a significantly enhanced catalytic activity when compared with its homogeneous urea counterpart and analogous MOF structures.