Although crown ethers can selectively bind many metal cations, little is known regarding the solution properties of crown ether complexes of the uranyl dication, UO2 2+. Here, the synthesis and characterization of isolable complexes in which the uranyl dication is bound in an 18-crown-6-like moiety are reported. A tailored macrocyclic ligand, templated with a Pt(II) center, captures UO2 2+ in the crown moiety, as demonstrated by results from single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The U(V) oxidation state becomes accessible at a quite positive potential (E1/2) of −0.18 V vs Fc+/0 upon complexation, representing the most positive UVI/UV potential yet reported for the UO2 n+ core. Isolation and characterization of the U(V) form of the crown complex are also reported here; there are no prior reports of reduced uranyl crown ether complexes, but U(V) is clearly stabilized by crown chelation. Joint computational studies show that the electronic structure of the U(V) form results in significant weakening of U−Ooxo bonding despite the quite positive reduction potential at which this species can be accessed, underscoring that crown-ligated uranyl species could demonstrate unique reactivity under only modestly reducing conditions.
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Observations regarding the synthesis and redox chemistry of heterobimetallic uranyl complexes containing Group 10 metals
Abstract Literature reports have demonstrated that Schiff-base-type ligands can serve as robust platforms for the synthesis of heterobimetallic complexes containing transition metals and the uranyl dication (UO22+). However, efforts have not advanced to include either synthesis of complexes containing second- or third-row transition metals or measurement of the redox properties of the corresponding heterobimetallic complexes, despite the significance of actinide redox in studies of nuclear fuel reprocessing and separations. Here, metalloligands denoted [Ni], [Pd], and [Pt] that contain the corresponding Group 10 metals have been prepared and a synthetic strategy to access species incorporating the uranyl ion (UO22+) has been explored, toward the goal of understanding how the secondary metals could tune uranium-centered redox chemistry. The synthesis and redox characterization of the bimetallic complex [Ni,UO2] was achieved, and factors that appear to govern extension of the chosen synthetic strategy to complexes with Pd and Pt are reported here. Infrared and solid-state structural data from X-ray diffraction analysis of the metalloligands [Pd] and [Pt] show that the metal centers in these complexes adopt the expected square planar geometries, while the structure of the bimetallic [Ni,UO2] reveals that the uranyl moiety influences the coordination environment of Ni(II), including inducement of a puckering of the ligand backbone of the complex in which the phenyl rings fold around the nickel-containing core in an umbrella-shaped fashion. Cyclic voltammetric data collected on the heterobimetallic complexes of both Ni(II) and Pd(II) provide evidence for uranium-centered redox cycling, as well as for the accessibility of other reductions that could be associated with Ni(II) or the organic ligand backbone. Taken together, these results highlight the unique redox behaviors that can be observed in multimetallic systems and design concepts that could be useful for accessing tunable multimetallic complexes containing the uranyl dication.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1922649
- PAR ID:
- 10536946
- Publisher / Repository:
- De Gruyter
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Radiochimica Acta
- Volume:
- 112
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0033-8230
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 149 to 160
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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