Engineering a MOF–magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposite for enantioselective capture

A novel magnetic graphene oxide–metal organic framework [Zn2(BTC)(NO3)(DMA)3]n (MGO–ZnBND) possessing both magnetic properties and excellent enantioselective capture of chiral drug intermediates was prepared and characterized in this paper. The MGO–ZnBND nanocomposite combines the superior properties of each component, making up for the deficiencies of each single component and shows excellent physicochemical properties. Solutions of racemic 2,2′-furoin and benzoin were chosen to investigate the enantioselective performance of the MGO–ZnBND nanocomposite by dispersive magnetic nanoparticle solid phase extraction (d-MNSPE). Under the optimized conditions, the nanocomposite shows excellent enantioselectivity to 2,2′-furoin and benzoin with enantiomeric excess (ee) values reaching up to 85% and 66%. The entire process with 2,2′-furoin and benzoin could be completed within 4 min and 6 min, respectively. After washing with methanol, the host MGO–ZnBND can be easily recycled and reused six times without any apparent loss of performance.