Preparation and Characterization of Uranium-Iron Triple-Bonded UFe(CO)3- and OUFe(CO)3- Complexes
Chaoxian Chi1, Jia-Qi Wang2, Hui Qu3
1School of Chemistry, Biological and Materials Sciences, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, 330013, China.
Abstract:
We report the preparation of UFe(CO)3- and OUFe(CO)3- complexes using a laser-vaporization supersonic ion source in the gas phase. These compounds were mass-selected and characterized by infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and state-of-the-art quantum chemical studies. There are unprecedented triple bonds between U 6d/5f and Fe 3d orbitals, featuring one covalent σ bond and two Fe-to-U dative π bonds in both complexes. The uranium and iron elements are found to exist in unique formal U(I or III) and Fe(-II) oxidation states, respectively. These findings suggest that there may exist a whole family of stable df-d multiple-bonded f-element-transition-metal compounds that have not been fully recognized to date.
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