‘Flip-flopping’ MOFs used to separate water isotopes

Two metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been identified that can effectively separate water isotopes, taking a leap toward solving one of chemistry’s classic problems.

Being able to separate isotopes is vital to modern science, and this is particularly true for the isotopologues – compounds with the same chemical formula but with at least one atom having a different number of neutrons – of water. Heavy water, for example, made from deuterium (hydrogen with a neutron), is widely used as an NMR solvent, and can be used in biology to study the energy expenditure of systems. It is also used in some countries, such as India and China, as a neutron moderator in nuclear power plants.