Separation of xenon and krypton is

Separation of xenon and krypton is of industrial and environmental concern; the existing technologies use cryogenic distillation. Thus, a cost-effective, alternative technology for the separation of Xe and Kr and their capture from air is of significant importance. Herein, we report the selective Xe uptake in a crystalline porous organic oligomeric molecule, noria, and its structural analogue, PgC-noria, under ambient conditions. The selectivity of noria towards Xe arises from its tailored pore size and small cavities, which allows a directed non-bonding interaction of Xe atoms with a large number of carbon atoms of the noria molecular wheel in a confined space.