B-hive? A family of crystalline materials analogous to porous AlPO(4) but based on boron imidazolate frameworks (BIFs) can be formed by the crosslinking of various presynthesized boron imidazolates with monovalent cations (Li(+) and Cu(+), see picture). This synthetic method is capable of generating a large variety of open frameworks, ranging from the four-connected zeolitic sodalite type to the three-connected chiral (10,3)-a type.