Cubic and highly porous [Mn(2-methyl-imidazolate)(2)] (Mn-ZIF-8) was synthesized from [Mn-(BH4)(2)center dot 3THF]center dot NaBH4 under an Ar atmosphere. The structure contains rare Mn2+-4N tetrahedral geometry and has larger cell parameters, resulting in 20% larger amounts of gas uptake compared with [Zn(2-methylimidazolate)(2)]. A kinetically favored reaction using a reactive metal borohydride precursor is key for the construction of new metal organic framework systems.