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Liddle ST. Progress in Nonaqueous Molecular Uranium Chemistry: Where to Next? Inorg Chem 2024; 63:9366-9384. [PMID: 38739898 PMCID: PMC11134516 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
There is long-standing interest in nonaqueous uranium chemistry because of fundamental questions about uranium's variable chemical bonding and the similarities of this pseudo-Group 6 element to its congener d-block elements molybdenum and tungsten. To provide historical context, with reference to a conference presentation slide presented around 1988 that advanced a defining collection of top targets, and the challenge, for synthetic actinide chemistry to realize in isolable complexes under normal experimental conditions, this Viewpoint surveys progress against those targets, including (i) CO and related π-acid ligand complexes, (ii) alkylidenes, carbynes, and carbidos, (iii) imidos and terminal nitrides, (iv) homoleptic polyalkyls, -alkoxides, and -aryloxides, (v) uranium-uranium bonds, and (vi) examples of topics that can be regarded as branching out in parallel from the leading targets. Having summarized advances from the past four decades, opportunities to build on that progress, and hence possible future directions for the field, are highlighted. The wealth and diversity of uranium chemistry that is described emphasizes the importance of ligand-metal complementarity in developing exciting new chemistry that builds our knowledge and understanding of elements in a relativistic regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen T. Liddle
- Department of Chemistry and Centre
for Radiochemistry Research, The University
of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
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2
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Vrána J, Růžičková Z, Růžička A, Dostál L. Synthesis and reactivity of alkali metal aluminates bearing bis(organoamido)phosphane ligand. Dalton Trans 2023; 52:12623-12631. [PMID: 37610275 DOI: 10.1039/d3dt01859h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we report a group of alkali metal aluminates bearing bis(organoamido)phosphane ligand. The starting complex {[PhP(NtBu)2]AlMe2}Li·OEt2 (1) was prepared by stepwise deprotonation of the parent PhP(NHtBu)2 by nBuLi and AlMe3. Further derivatization of aluminate 1 was performed by the virtual substitution of lithium -{[PhP(NtBu)2]AlMe2}K (2), methyl substituents - {[PhP(NtBu)2]AlH2}Li·THF (3), modification of steric bulk and induction effects on the phosphorus atom - {[tBuP(N-2,6-iPr2C6H3)2]AlMe2}Li·(OEt2)2 (4), and phosphorus atom oxidation state {[Ph(Y)P(NtBu)2]AlMe2}Li (Y = O (5), S (6), Se (7), Te (8)). The structure causing non-covalent interactions in 1-4 were evaluated with the help of theoretical calculations and topological analysis ranging from π-electron system-metal to agostic interactions of various types. The further reactions of 1 with various nucleophiles were found to be a versatile tool for the preparation of iminophosphonamides via the formation of P-E bond (E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, P, and C) and followed by P(III) → P(V) tautomeric shift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Vrána
- Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic.
| | - Zdeňka Růžičková
- Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic.
| | - Aleš Růžička
- Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic.
| | - Libor Dostál
- Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic.
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3
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Meng Q, Abella L, Yao YR, Sergentu DC, Yang W, Liu X, Zhuang J, Echegoyen L, Autschbach J, Chen N. A charged diatomic triple-bonded U≡N species trapped in C 82 fullerene cages. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7192. [PMID: 36418311 PMCID: PMC9684569 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34651-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Actinide diatomic molecules are ideal models to study elusive actinide multiple bonds, but most of these diatomic molecules have so far only been studied in solid inert gas matrices. Herein, we report a charged U≡N diatomic species captured in fullerene cages and stabilized by the U-fullerene coordination interaction. Two diatomic clusterfullerenes, viz. UN@Cs(6)-C82 and UN@C2(5)-C82, were successfully synthesized and characterized. Crystallographic analysis reveals U-N bond lengths of 1.760(7) and 1.760(20) Å in UN@Cs(6)-C82 and UN@C2(5)-C82. Moreover, U≡N was found to be immobilized and coordinated to the fullerene cages at 100 K but it rotates inside the cage at 273 K. Quantum-chemical calculations show a (UN)2+@(C82)2- electronic structure with formal +5 oxidation state (f1) of U and unambiguously demonstrate the presence of a U≡N bond in the clusterfullerenes. This study constitutes an approach to stabilize fundamentally important actinide multiply bonded species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyu Meng
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Laura Abella
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Natural Sciences Complex, Buffalo, NY, 14260-3000, USA
| | - Yang-Rong Yao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
| | | | - Wei Yang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Xinye Liu
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Jiaxin Zhuang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Luis Echegoyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79968, USA
| | - Jochen Autschbach
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Natural Sciences Complex, Buffalo, NY, 14260-3000, USA.
| | - Ning Chen
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China.
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4
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Staun SL, Wu G, Lukens WW, Hayton TW. Synthesis of a heterobimetallic actinide nitride and an analysis of its bonding. Chem Sci 2021; 12:15519-15527. [PMID: 35003580 PMCID: PMC8653994 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc05072a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Reaction of [K(DME)][Th{N(R)(SiMe2 CH2)}2(NR2)] (R = SiMe3) with 1 equiv. of [U(NR2)3(NH2)] (1) in THF, in the presence of 18-crown-6, results in formation of a bridged uranium-thorium nitride complex, [K(18-crown-6)(THF)2][(NR2)3UIV(μ-N)ThIV(NR2)3] (2), which can be isolated in 48% yield after work-up. Complex 2 is the first isolable molecular mixed-actinide nitride complex. Also formed in the reaction is the methylene-bridged mixed-actinide nitride, [K(18-crown-6)][K(18-crown-6)(Et2O)2][(NR2)2U(μ-N)(μ-κ2-C,N-CH2SiMe2NR)Th(NR2)2]2 (3), which can be isolated in 34% yield after work-up. Complex 3 is likely generated by deprotonation of a methyl group in 2 by [NR2]-, yielding the new μ-CH2 moiety and HNR2. Reaction of 2 with 0.5 equiv. of I2 results in formation of a UV/ThIV bridged nitride, [(NR2)3UV(μ-N)ThIV(NR2)3] (4), which can be isolated in 42% yield after work-up. The electronic structure of 4 was analyzed with EPR spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, and NIR-visible spectroscopy. This analysis demonstrated that the energies of 5f orbitals of 4 are largely determined by the strong ligand field exerted by the nitride ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selena L Staun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
| | - Guang Wu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
| | - Wayne W Lukens
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley California 94720 USA
| | - Trevor W Hayton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
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5
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Yu X, Sergentu DC, Feng R, Autschbach J. Covalency of Trivalent Actinide Ions with Different Donor Ligands: Do Density Functional and Multiconfigurational Wavefunction Calculations Corroborate the Observed "Breaks"? Inorg Chem 2021; 60:17744-17757. [PMID: 34747167 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c02374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
A comprehensive ab initio study of periodic actinide-ligand bonding trends for trivalent actinides is performed. Relativistic density functional theory (DFT) and complete active-space (CAS) self-consistent field wavefunction calculations are used to dissect the chemical bonding in the [AnCl6]3-, [An(CN)6]3-, [An(NCS)6]3-, [An(S2PMe2)3], [An(DPA)3]3-, and [An(HOPO)]- series of actinide (An = U-Es) complexes. Except for some differences for the early actinide complexes with DPA, bond orders and excess 5f-shell populations from donation bonding show qualitatively similar trends in 5f n active-space CAS vs DFT calculations. The influence of spin-orbit coupling on donation bonding is small for the tested systems. Along the actinide series, chemically soft vs chemically harder ligands exhibit clear differences in bonding trends. There are pronounced changes in the 5f populations when moving from Pu to Am or Cm, which correlate with previously noted "breaks" in chemical trends. Bonding involving 5f becomes very weak beyond Cm/Bk. We propose that Cm(III) is a borderline case among the trivalent actinides that can be meaningfully considered to be involved in ground-state 5f covalent bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Yu
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States
| | - Dumitru-Claudiu Sergentu
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States
| | - Rulin Feng
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States
| | - Jochen Autschbach
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-3000, United States
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Alvarez S. Continuous Shape Measures Study of the Coordination Spheres of Actinide Complexes – Part 1: Low Coordination Numbers. Eur J Inorg Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejic.202100500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Alvarez
- Department de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica – Secció de Química Inorgànica and Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional Universitat de Barcelona Martí i Franquès 1 08028 Barcelona Spain
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