The adsorption behaviour of the CdII–MOF {[Cd(L)2(ClO4)2]·H2O (1), where L is 4-amino-3,5-bis[3-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl]-1,2,4-triazole, for butan-2-one was investigated in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) fashion. A new host–guest system that encapsulated butan-2-one molecules, namely poly[[bis{μ3-4-amino-3,5-bis[3-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl]-1,2,4-triazole}cadmium(II)] bis(perchlorate) butanone sesquisolvate], {[Cd(C24H18N6)2](ClO4)2·1.5C4H8O}
n
, denoted C4H8O@Cd-MOF (2), was obtained via an SCSC transformation. MOF 2 crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P43212. The specific binding sites for butan-2-one in the host were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions and C—H...π interactions between the framework, ClO4
− anions and guest molecules co-operatively bind 1.5 butan-2-one molecules within the channels. The adsorption behaviour was further evidenced by 1H NMR, IR, TGA and powder X-ray diffraction experiments, which are consistent with the single-crystal X-ray analysis. A 1H NMR experiment demonstrates that the supramolecular interactions between the framework, ClO4
− anions and guest molecules in MOF 2 lead to a high butan-2-one uptake in the channel.
