Highly selective molecular sieving of cis - over trans -1,2-dichloroethene isomers.

An intrinsically porous trianglimine macrocycle 1 is reported to display energy-efficient and cost-effective adsorptive properties by selectively separating cis -1,2-dichloroethene ( cis -DCE) from an equimolar cis - and trans -DCE mixture with a purity of over 96%. The selectivity is enhanced by host/guest C-H⋯π intermolecular interactions. Moreover, the macrocycle can be reused many times without any decrease in performance, which further supports the sustainability of using molecular sieves in chemical separation.