Towards Organic Zeolites and Inclusion Catalysts: Heptazine Imide Salts Can Exchange Metal Cations in the Solid State.

Highly crystalline potassium (heptazine imides) were prepared by the thermal condensation of substituted 1,2,4-triazoles in eutectic salt melts. These semiconducting salts are already known to be highly active photocatalysts, for example, for the visible-light-driven generation of hydrogen from water. Herein, we show that within the solid-state structure, potassium ions can be exchanged to other metal ions while the crystal habitus is essentially preserved.