Copper-Based Metal–Organic Framework: An Emergent Heterogeneous Catalyst in Potential Organic Transformations

Porous coordination polymers, alternatively known as metal–organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles, have acquired increasing significance in nanomaterials science, especially with the increased importance and versatility in catalysis. The complex structures of MOFs allow the incorporation of metal nodes, enclosing substrates, and functional linkers, thus enabling synergistic structural and functional engineering to produce capable catalytic active sites that provide solutions to decrease human activities in designing new organic reactions. Recently, Cu-MOF-mediated organic reactions hold a significant promise to substitute homogenous and heterogeneous catalysts due to their promising structural features such as tailorable porous structures, high-density catalytic active sites and surface area, sufficient framework stability, minimal leaching, and facile recovery and recyclability. This review emphasizes the significance of Cu-MOFs in synthetic chemistry, in particular, in the synthesis of organic compounds. It examines their applicability in hydrogenation, oxidation, cross-coupling/condensation reactions, functionalization at terminal alkenes and alkynes, intramolecular C-H amination, and other multicomponent reactions. In addition to these organic transformations, recent progress in Cu-MOF-catalyzed CO2 electroreduction and nitrate reduction is also briefly described. Subsequently, the state-of-the-art synthetic methods of certain decorated Cu-MOFs are thoroughly elaborated as well as the essential structural parameters that govern the stability and recyclability of MOFs in organic transformations. This focused examination of Cu-MOFs is expected to provide useful information for future research endeavors in the field of MOF catalytic applications.