Templated synthesis of zirconium(IV)-based metal-organic layers (MOLs) with accessible chelating sites.

Metal-organic layers (MOLs) are of great interest in heterogeneous catalysis, particularly materials that can accommodate extraneous metal centres. Here, we demonstrate a two-step preorganisation/delamination synthetic strategy using CuI as a template to prepare Zr-based MOLs with accessible 'syn' bis-pyrazolyl chelating sites (named UAM-2·ns ) that are poised for quantitative post-synthetic metalation with late transition metals.