Glassy metal-organic frameworks: The node-and-linker structure of metal-organic frameworks could enable detailed structural studies of molecular glasses quenched from melts. Zinc-based zeolitic imidazole frameworks exhibit a high propensity for glass formation at conventional cooling rates. Madsen et al. used ultrahigh magnetic fields (19.5 and 35.2 tesla) to perform zinc-67 nuclear magnetic resonance of solid samples with magic-angle spinning on three samples with different ratios of imidazole and benzimidazole linkers. The structural disorder of the tetrahedral ligand environment around zinc nodes was higher in the glassy states than in the parent crystals. Science , this issue p. 1473

Five-coordinated Als (Al(V)) on the surface of aluminas play important roles when they are used as catalysts or catalyst supports. However, the comprehensive characterization and understanding of the intrinsic structural properties of the Al(V) remain a challenge, due to the very small amount in commonly used aluminas. Herein, the surface structures of γ-Al₂O₃ and Al(V)-rich Al₂O₃ nanosheets (Al₂O₃-NS) have been investigated and compared in detail by multinuclear high-field solid-state NMR. Thanks to the high resolution and sensitivity of ultra-high-field (up to 35.2 T) NMR, the arrangements of surface Als were clearly demonstrated, which are substantially different from the bulk phase in γ-Al₂O₃ due to the structure reconstruction. It reveals for the first time that most of the commonly observed Al(V)s tend to exist as aggregated states on the surface of γ-Al₂O₃, like those in amorphous Al₂O₃-NS liable to structure reconstruction. Our new insights into surface Al(V) species may help in understanding the structure-function relationship of alumina.