Uranium(iv) alkyl cations: synthesis, structures, comparison with thorium(iv) analogues, and the influence of arene-coordination on thermal stability and ethylene polymerization activity.

Reaction of [(XA)U(CHSiMe)] (1; XA = 4,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylanilido)-2,7-di--butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene) with 1 equivalent of [PhC][B(CF)] in arene solvents afforded the arene-coordinated uranium alkyl cations, [(XA)U(CHSiMe)(η -arene)][B(CF)] {arene = benzene (2), toluene (3), bromobenzene (4) and fluorobenzene (5)}. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 were crystallographically characterized, and in all cases the arene is π-coordinated. Solution NMR studies of 2-5 suggest that the binding preferences of the [(XA)U(CHSiMe)] cation follow the order: toluene ≈ benzene > bromobenzene > fluorobenzene.

Thorium(iv) alkyl and allyl complexes of a rigid NON-donor pincer ligand with flanking 1-adamantyl substituents.

Palladium-catalyzed coupling of 1-adamantylamine (2 equiv.) with 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene afforded the proligand 4,5-bis(1-adamantylamino)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene, H2[XAd] (1), which upon deprotonation with excess KH or KCH2Ph in THF or dme generated [{K(THF)3}2(XAd)] (2a) and [K2(XAd)(dme)] (2b). Subsequent reaction of in situ generated 2a or 2b with [ThCl4(dme)2] yielded [(XAd)ThCl4K2]·x(dme) (3; x = 0.

Rigid NON- and NSN-ligand complexes of tetravalent and trivalent uranium: comparison of U-OAr2 and U-SAr2 bonding.

A rigid NSN-donor proligand, 4,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylanilino)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylthioxanthene (H(2)[TXA(2)], 1) was prepared by palladium-catalyzed coupling of 2,6-diisopropylaniline with 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylthioxanthene. Deprotonation of 1 using (n)BuLi provided Li(2)(DME)(2)[TXA(2)] (2), and subsequent reaction with UCl(4) afforded [Li(DME)(3)][(TXA(2))UCl(3)] (4). The analogous NON-donor ligated complex [(XA(2))UCl(3)K(DME)(3)] [3; XA(2) = 4,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylanilino)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene] was prepared by the reaction of K(2)(DME)(x)[XA(2)] with UCl(4).