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Title: A Uranium(II) Arene Complex That Acts as a Uranium(I) Synthon

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3];  [2]; ORCiD logo; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
  3. Univ. of Toulouse (France)
  4. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

We report two-electron reduction of the amidate-supported U(III) mono(arene) complex U(TDA)3 (2) with KC8 yields the anionic bis(arene) complex [K[2.2.2]cryptand][U(TDA)2] (3) (TDA = N-(2,6-di-isopropylphenyl)pivalamido). EPR spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and calculations using DFT as well as multireference CASSCF methods all provide strong evidence that the electronic structure of 3 is best represented as a 5f4 U(II) metal center bound to a monoreduced arene ligand. Reactivity studies show 3 reacts as a U(I) synthon by behaving as a two-electron reductant toward I2 to form the dinuclear U(III)–U(III) triiodide species [K[2.2.2]cryptand][(UI(TDA)2)2(μ-I)] (6) and as a three-electron reductant toward cycloheptatriene (CHT) to form the U(IV) complex [K[2.2.2]cryptand][U(η7-C7H7)(TDA)2(THF)] (7). The reaction of 3 with cyclooctatetraene (COT) generates a mixture of the U(III) anion [K[2.2.2]cryptand][U(TDA)4] (1-crypt) and U(COT)2, while the addition of COT to complex 2 instead yields the dinuclear U(IV)–U(IV) inverse sandwich complex [U(TDA)3]2(μ-η83-C8H8) (8). Two-electron reduction of the homoleptic Th(IV) amidate complex Th(TDA)4 (4) with KC8 gives the mono(arene) complex [K[2.2.2]cryptand][Th(TDA)3(THF)] (5). The C–C bond lengths and torsion angles in the bound arene of 5 suggest a direduced arene bound to a Th(IV) metal center; this conclusion is supported by DFT calculations.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; NA0003180; NA0000979
OSTI ID:
1863926
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society Journal Issue: 47 Vol. 143; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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