Copper(II)-Silver(I) Macrocyclic Metal-Organic Framework: A Highly Efficient Reusable Triplet Oxygen Collector and Singlet Oxygen Generator.

The generation of highly reactive oxygen (1O2) is very significant for a variety of applications such as degradation, bleaching, chemical synthesis, photodynamic therapy for tumor treatment, and others. Herein, we report a novel peroxide-dianion-embedded bimetallic macrocycle, [O22–@Ag4Cu4L4]2+ (2), that can completely release the inserted peroxide dianion as the singlet oxygen (1O2) via a H+-assisted disproportionation process in methanol. Notably, the resulting empty Ag4Cu4L4(ClO4)4 (3) is able to trap oxygen (3O2) from air and fixes it in the macrocycle host as a peroxide dianion; furthermore, it releases it as 1O2 again in the presence of H+. So, the bimetallic macrocycle [Ag4Cu4L4]4+ herein behaves as a highly efficient reusable triplet oxygen receptor and singlet oxygen generator.