Anhydrous Actinide Starting Materials: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of [UCl<sub>4</sub>(Et<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub>], an Alternative Route to [UO<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub>(THF)<sub>2</sub>]<sub>2</sub>, and Comments on the Synthesis of
Abstract A new diethyl ether adduct of uranium tetrachloride, [UCl 4 (Et 2 O) 2 ] ( 1 ), along with the previously reported mono‐etherate complex [UCl 4 (Et 2 O)] n ( 2 ), have been synthesized and characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and in the case of 1 , single crystal X‐ray diffraction. Additionally, reaction of anhydrous [UO 2 (OAc) 2 ] n with HCl in Et 2 O/THF was found to afford the uranyl dichloride complex [UO 2 Cl 2 (THF) 2 ] 2 ( 3 ) in high purity and yield, providing an alternative and convenient entry point into anhydrous uranyl chemistry. Furthermore, comments are provided regarding the literature synthesis of [ThCl 4 (dme) 2 ] via the reaction of [ThCl 4 (H 2 O) 4 ] with Me 3 SiCl in dme, highlighting important considerations for the compound's preparation in good yield.
Authors
- Novan A. G. Gray (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3607-4063)
- James F. Britten (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5527-0620)
- David J. H. Emslie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2570-9345)
Institutions
- McMaster University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry
- Published
- 2025-01-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.202400779
- Primary Topic
- Radioactive element chemistry and processing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Government of Ontario
- Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada