Design of Highly Efficient Bifunctional Metal-Organic Framework Catalysts for Tandem Catalysis By Shortening the Reaction Pathway

Tandem reactions are important in the scientific community because they reduce time and money to carry out a reaction as well as chemical waste. However, most tandem reactions require two consecutive steps with different catalysts. Metal-organic frameworks have the capability to catalyze reactions; more specifically, the UiO-66 can be functionalized with two different moieties, making them a good candidate for tandem deacetalization−Knoevenagel reaction. In this study, it is shown that the UiO-66-type MOF, synthesized using the MHT synthesis method, can be functionalized with both an acidic and basic site at varying amounts. To analyze these affects, a kinetic study using ¹H NMR was used to calculate the conversion of benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal (BADA) to benzalmalonitrile.