Immobilizing amine species in a Cr-MOF for enhanced selectivity in CO(2) cycloaddition reactions

After grafting polyalkylamines into a Cr(3+)-MOF, the materials were tested for their efficacy in catalyzing cycloaddition reactions between CO(2) and 1,2-epoxybutane (EB). While the amines significantly increased the MOF's cyclic carbonate selectivity, Cr(3+) promoted the formation of unwanted polymeric side-products that became trapped in the MOF pores, reducing catalyst cyclability.