Synthesis and structural examination of complexes of Am(IV) and other tetravalent actinides with lacunary heteropolyanion alpha2-P2W17O61(10-).

This study concerns the formation of complexes with actinides at oxidation state +IV, from Th to Am, through a lacunary heteropolyanion ligand P(2)W(17)O(61)(10-). The preparation of original single crystals of complexes with 1:2 stoichiometry provided structural data through single-crystal X-ray diffraction for the entire An(IV) series. An(IV) atoms in these complexes have a coordination number of 8, and their coordination polyhedron is a distorted square antiprism.