Selective separation of meta- and para-cresol using nonporous adaptive crystals of perpropoxylated pillar[5]arene

Abstract

The selective separation of meta-cresol (MC) and para-cresol (PC) remains a significant challenge due to their nearly identical physicochemical properties. Here, we report nonporous adaptive crystals (NACs) based on perpropoxylated pillar[5]arene (PrP5) for the efficient and selective adsorption of MC over PC. Specifically, PrP5 crystals demonstrate exceptional selectivity, achieving 94.00% purity in the separation of MC from an equimolar MC/PC mixture while maintaining robust regenerability across multiple cycles. Furthermore, the incorporation of PrP5 into a molecular sieve facilitates the selective removal of trace MC impurities, enhancing PC purity from 98.40% to 99.06% in a single cycle. These findings underscore the potential of PrP5-based NACs as a promising material for the separation and high-purity purification of compounds in industrial processes.