10. Absorption of N-Hexanes via a Microwaved Synthesis of Zif-8

Abstract

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are a subfamily of porous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) which mimic the 145⁰ Si-O-Si dihedral angle in zeolite minerals. They are prepared by reacting metal salts with imidazole linkers to form crystalline materials that have found application in gas and liquid separation, drug delivery, and catalysis. The purpose of this research is to test a new laboratory manual for the chemistry elective; Materials Chemistry. The laboratory manual seeks to employ a microwave synthesis technique to provide students with a hands-on approach to a common synthesis technique as well as studying the materials absorption properties that can be quantized with further instrumentation. The synthesized ZIF will be characterized via TGA/DSC and then the absorption of n-hexanes by the ZIF will be observed by TGA/DSC. Three upper level chemistry majors were sought out to follow the laboratory manual step by step and provide the experimental results. Within the process, feedback to improve the lab is given from the students and the collected results show that more time is required to optimize the procedural details. These parameters include the concentration of the reacting solution as well as the microwave specifications. With extended time, the project will be modified to be able to implement into an annual materials laboratory as an experiment to study the absorption properties of a ZIF.