The design and synthesis of novel microporous materials are topics of current interest and of great challenge in materials science, not only because of their rich structural chemistry but also owing to their potential applications in the fields of separation, adsorption, photochemistry and catalysis. Metal phosphate is one of the most important inorganic framework materials in application. As an extension of metal phosphate, much attention has been paid to metal phosphite. In recent years, a series of metal phosphites with novel structures have been synthesized, such as large channels and helical and chiral open-framework. Syntheses of these new compounds with open-framework open a new field for microporous compounds. The study of metal phosphite has involved most metal elements in the periodic table and various synthetic methods and templates. This review introduces different metal phosphites, summarizing their structural features and the role of templates in synthesis and discussing recent research progress.

microporous compound  /  metal phosphite  /  open framework