The effect of viologen counterions on the topologies of La(iii)–tetraoxolene metal–organic frameworks†

Lanthanoid containing coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted significant attention due to their potential application in photoluminescence, high-density information storage, and chemical sensing. Controlling the connectivity of the frameworks is a crucial goal, as both the physical and chemical properties of these compounds are closely related to their network topologies. Two viologen cations have been investigated for their structure directing effects in the synthesis of La(III)–tetraoxolene frameworks containing F, Cl and Br substituents. The framework topologies obtained demonstrate the potential for viologen cations to influence the structure of the La–tetraoxolene MOFs through non-covalent interactions.