Calcium l-Lactate Frameworks as Naturally Degradable Carriers for Pesticides.

Two porous, chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Ca14 (l-lactate)20 (acetate)8 (C2 H5 OH)(H2 O) (MOF-1201) and Ca6 (l-lactate)3 (acetate)9 (H2 O) (MOF-1203), are constructed from Ca2+ ions and l-lactate [CH3 CH(OH)COO- ], where Ca2+ ions are bridged by the carboxylate and hydroxyl groups of lactate and the carboxylate group of acetate to give a three-dimensional arrangement of Ca(-COO, -OH) polyhedra supporting one-dimensional pores with apertures and internal diameters of 7.8 and 9.6 Å (MOF-1201) and 4.6 and 5.6 Å (MOF-1203), respectively. These MOFs represent the first examples of extended porous structures based on Ca2+ and lactate. They show permanent porosity of 430 and 160 m2 g-1 , respectively, and can encapsulate an agriculturally important fumigant, cis-1,3-dichloropropene. MOF-1201 shows a 100 times lower release rate compared with liquid cis-1,3-dichloropropene under the same test conditions (25 °C, air flow rate of 1 cm3 min-1 ). The hydrolysis of MOF-1201 in water makes it the first example of a degradable porous solid carrier for such fumigants.