Molecular Recognition and Adsorptive Separation of m-xylene by Trianglimine Crystals

by A. Dey, S. Chand, M. Altamimy, B. Maity, P. Bhatt, I. Bhat, L. Cavallo, M. Eddaoudi, N.M. Khashab
Year: 2021 DOI: 10.1039/D1CC03531B

Bibliography

A. Dey, S. Chand, M. Ghosh, M. Altamimy, B. Maity, P. Bhatt, I. Bhat, L. Cavallo, M. Eddaoudi  and  N.M. Khashab; Molecular Recognition and Adsorptive Separation of m-xylene by Trianglimine Crystals; Chem. Commun., 2021, Accepted Manuscript

Abstract

The separation of xylene isomers is one of the most challenging tasks in the petrochemical industry. Herein, we developed an efficient adsorptive molecular sieving strategy using crystalline trianglimine macrocycle (1) to separate the elusive m-xylene isomer from an equimolar xylenes mixture with over 91 % purity. The selectivity is attributed to the capture of the preferred guest with size/shape selectivity and C-H···π interactions. Moreover, the trianglimine crystals are readily recyclable due to the reversible transformation between the guest-free and guest-loaded structures.

Keywords

Molecular Recognition Adsorptive separation Trianglimine Crystals Xylene Isomers