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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
Published on: April 10, 2015
Synthesis and crystal structure of tetra- and hexanuclear uranium(IV) complexes with hexadentate compartmental
Lionel Salmon1, Pierre Thuéry, Michel Ephritikhine
1Service de Chimie Moléculaire, DSM, DRECAM, CNRS URA 331, CEA / Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Abstract:
Treatment of UCl4 with the hexadentate Schiff bases H2Li in thf gave the expected [ULiCl2(thf)] complexes [H2Li=N,N'-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)-R and R = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine (i= 1), R = 1,3-propanediamine (i= 2), R = 2-amino-benzylamine (i= 3), R = 2-methyl-1,2-propanediamine (i= 4), R = 1,2-phenylenediamine (i= 5)]. The crystal structure of [UL4Cl2(thf)] (4) shows the metal in a quite perfect pentagonal bipyramidal configuration, with the two Cl atoms in apical positions. Reaction of UCl4 with H4Li in pyridine did not afford the mononuclear products [U(H2Li)Cl2(py)x] but gave instead polynuclear complexes [H4Li=N,N'-bis(3-hydroxysalicylidene)-R and R = 1,3-propanediamine (i= 6), R = 2-amino-benzylamine (i= 7) or R = 2-methyl-1,2-propanediamine (i= 8)]. In the presence of H4L6 and H4L7 in pyridine, UCl4 was transformed in a serendipitous and reproducible manner into the tetranuclear U(iv) complexes [Hpy]2[U4(L6)2(H2L6)2Cl6] (6a) and [Hpy]2[U4(L7)2(H2L7)2Cl6][U4(L7)2(H2L7)2Cl4(py)2] (7), respectively. Treatment of UCl4 with [Zn(H2L6)] led to the formation of the neutral compound [U4(L6)2(H2L6)2Cl4(py)2] (6b). The hexanuclear complex [Hpy]2[U6(L8)4Cl10(py)4] (8) was obtained by reaction of UCl4 and H4L8. The centrosymmetric crystal structures of 6a.2HpyCl.2py, 6b.6py, 7.16py and 8.6py illustrate the potential of Schiff bases as associating ligands for the design of polynuclear assemblies.
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