The adsorption of pyridine onto the metal organic framework MIL-101 was investigated by experimental and theoretical methods. The amount of pyridine adsorbed on MIL-101 was extraordinarily large at 20 degrees C, corresponding to about 950 mg/g of dried MIL-101 and approximately half of the voids being filled. Most of the pyridine that had filled the voids was rapidly removed by evacuation at room temperature, but some of the pyridine was so strongly adsorbed that it was retained even under evacuation at 150 degrees C. Although IR spectra of the adsorbed pyridine indicated the adsorption of pyridine as pyridinium ions and coordinated pyridine at low temperatures, increasing the adsorption temperature induced partial cleavage of the pyridine rings. The high stabilization energy of pyridine on the coordinative unsaturated sites (CUS) of MIL-101, obtained by theoretical calculation, -103 kJ/mol, supported the strong adsorption of pyridine on the CUS. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.