Mixed bidentate and bridging coordination by furoic acid in the X-ray structure of tris(furoato)bis(aquo)hydroxodioxouranium(VI) dihydrate

100 years of X-ray crystallography

The developments in crystallography, since it was first covered in Science Progress in 1917, following the formulation of the Bragg equation, are described. The advances in instrumentation and data analysis, coupled with the application of computational methods to data analysis, have enabled the solution of molecular structures from the simplest binary systems to the most complex of biological structures. These developments are shown to have had major impacts in the development of chemical bonding theory and in offering an increasing understanding of enzyme-substrate interactions. The advent of synchrotron radiation sources has opened a new chapter in this multi-disciplinary field of science.

Steric control of substituted phenoxide ligands on product structures of uranyl aryloxide complexes

A series of uranyl aryloxide complexes has been prepared via metathesis reactions between [UO(2)Cl(2)(THF)(2)](2) and di-ortho-substituted phenoxides. Reaction of 4 equiv of KO-2,6-(t)()Bu(2)C(6)H(3) with [UO(2)Cl(2)(THF)(2)](2) in THF produces the dark red uranyl compound, UO(2)(O-2,6-(t)()Bu(2)C(6)H(3))(2)(THF)(2).THF, 1. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 reveals a monomer in which the uranium is coordinated in a pseudooctahedral fashion by two apical oxo groups, two cis-aryloxides, and two THF ligands. A similar product is prepared by reaction of KO-2,6-Ph(2)C(6)H(3) with [UO(2)Cl(2)(THF)(2)](2) in THF. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of this compound reveals it to be the trans-monomer UO(2)(O-2,6-Ph(2)C(6)H(3))(2)(THF)(2), 2. Dimeric structures result from the reactions of [UO(2)Cl(2)(THF)(2)](2) with less sterically imposing aryloxide salts, KO-2,6-Cl(2)C(6)H(3) or KO-2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of [UO(2)(O-2,6-Cl(2)C(6)H(3))(2)(THF)(2)](2), 3, and [UO(2)Cl(O-2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3))(THF)(2)](2), 4, reveal similar structures in which each U atom is coordinated by seven ligands in a pseudopentagonal bipyramidal fashion. Coordinated to each uranium are two apical oxo groups and five equatorial ligands (3, one terminal phenoxide, two bridging phenoxides, and two nonadjacent terminal THF ligands; 4, one terminal chloride, two bridging phenoxides, and two nonadjacent terminal THF ligands). Apparently, the phenoxide ligand steric features exert a greater influence on the solid-state structures than the electronic properties of the substituents. Emission spectroscopy has been utilized to investigate the molecularity and electronic structure of these compounds. For example, luminescence spectra taken at liquid nitrogen temperature allow for a determination of the dependence of the molecular aggregation of 3 on the molecular concentration. Electronic and vibrational spectroscopic measurements have been analyzed to examine trends in emission energies and stretching frequencies. However, comparison of the data for compounds 1-4 reveals that the innate electron-donating capacity of phenoxide ligands is only subtly manifest in either the electronic or vibrational energy distributions within these molecules.

Synthesis and characterization of uranyl compounds with iminodiacetate and oxydiacetate displaying variable denticity

Eight uranyl compounds containing the dicarboxylate ligands iminodiacetate (IDA) or oxydiacetate (ODA) have been characterized in the solid state. The published polymeric structures for [UO(2)(C(4)H(6)NO(4))(2)] and [UO(2)(C(4)H(4)O(5))](n) have been confirmed, while Ba[UO(2)(C(4)H(5)NO(4))(2)] x 3H(2)O, [(CH(3))(2)NH(CH(2))(2)NH(CH(3))(2)][UO(2)(C(4)H(4)O(5))(2)] [orthorhombic space group Pnma, a = 10.996(5) A, b = 21.42(1) A, c = 8.700(3) A, Z = 4], and [C(2)H(5)NH(2)(CH(2))(2)NH(2)C(2)H(5)][UO(2)(C(4)H(4)O(5))(2)] [monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, a = 6.857(3) A, b = 9.209(5) A, c = 16.410(7) A, beta = 91.69(3), Z = 2] contain monomeric anions. The distance from the uranium atom to the central heteroatom (O or N) in the ligand varies. Crystallographic study shows that U-heteroatom (O/N) distances fall into two groups, one 2.6-2.7 A in length and one 3.1-3.2 A, the latter implying no bonding interaction. By contrast, EXAFS analysis of bulk samples suggests that either a long U-heteroatom (O/N) distance (2.9 A) or a range of distances may be present. Three possible structural types, two symmetric and one asymmetric, are identified on the basis of these results and on solid-state (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The two ligands in the complex can be 1,4,7-tridentate, giving five-membered rings, or 1,7-bidentate, to form an eight-membered ring. (C(4)H(12)N(2))[(UO(2))(2)(C(4)H(5)NO(4))(2)(OH)(2)] x 8H(2)O [monoclinic space group P2(1)/a, a = 7.955(9) A, b = 24.050(8) A, c = 8.223(6) A, beta = 112.24(6), Z = 2], (C(2)H(10)N(2))[(UO(2))(2)(C(4)H(5)NO(4))(2)(OH)(2)] x 4H(2)O, and (C(6)H(13)N(4))(2)[(UO(2))(2)(C(4)H(4)O(5))(2)(OH)(2)] x 2H(2)O [monoclinic space group C2/m, a = 19.024(9) A, b = 7.462(4) A, c = 2.467(6) A, beta = 107.75(4), Z = 4] have a dimeric structure with two capping tridentate ligands and two mu(2)-hydroxo bridges, giving edge-sharing pentagonal bipyramids.