Photochemical Synthesis of a Stable Terminal Uranium(VI) Nitride
Luciano Barluzzi1, Rosario Scopelliti1, Marinella Mazzanti1
1Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Terminal uranium nitrides have so far proven impossible to isolate by photolysis of azides. Here we report the second ever example of an isolated terminal uranium(VI) nitride. We show that the terminal nitride [NBu4][U(OSi(OtBu)3)4(N)], 3, can be prepared upon photolysis with UV light of the U(IV) azide analogue. This is achieved by careful tailoring of the azide precursor and of the reaction conditions. Complex 3 is stable under ambient conditions but reacts readily with electrophiles (H+ and CO).
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