A sulphur and uranium fiesta! Synthesis, structure, and characterization of neutral terminal uranium(vi) monosulphide, uranium(vi) η2-disulphide, and uranium(iv) phosphine sulphide complexes.

Three new uranium species (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)([double bond, length as m-dash]S), (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)(η2-S2), and (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)(S[double bond, length as m-dash]PMe3) were synthesized and fully characterized by a combination of NMR, IR, and UV/vis-NIR spectroscopies, elemental analysis, and cyclic voltammetry. The solid state structures of (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)([double bond, length as m-dash]S) and (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)(η2-S2) were also determined. The compound (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)([double bond, length as m-dash]S) is the first neutral uranium complex with a terminal sulphido ligand, and (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)(S[double bond, length as m-dash]PMe3) is the first uranium compound with a coordinated phosphine sulphide ligand. The phosphine sulphide adduct, (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)(S[double bond, length as m-dash]PMe3), can be synthesized either by reaction of the uranium(iv) complex (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)(thf) with S[double bond, length as m-dash]PMe3 or by the reaction of the uranium(vi) terminal sulphido complex (C5Me5)2U([double bond, length as m-dash]N-2,6-iPr2-C6H3)([double bond, length as m-dash]S) with PMe3.