Molecular Thorium Compounds with Dichalcogenide Ligands: Synthesis, Structure, 77Se NMR Study, and Thermolysis.

A series of dimeric thorium disulfides and diselenides have been prepared with sterically undemanding ancillary ligands. Five complexes, (py)6Th2I4(µ2-S2)2, (py)6Th2Br2(SC6F5)2(µ2-S2)2, (py)6Th2I4(µ2-Se2)2, (py)6Th2I2(SC6F5)2(µ2-Se2)2, and (py)6Th2Br2(SC6F5)2(µ2-Se2)2, were isolated in high yields by first reducing mixtures of I2, F5C6SSC6F5, PhSeSePh, or PhSSPh, and PhSeBr with elemental Th, followed by in situ ligand-based redox reactions with elemental sulfur or selenium. These are the first examples of thorium compounds with bridging dichalcogenide ligands. Attempts to prepare chloride derivatives gave mixtures of (py)4ThCl4 and either (py)6Th2Cl2(SC6F5)2(µ2-S2)2 or (py)8Th4Se4(SePh)4(SC6F5)4. All products were characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction and IR, UV-visible, and NMR spectroscopy. A computational analysis of experimental 77Se NMR chemical shifts reveals that the solvated dimeric structures with two bridging dichalcogenides are maintained in solution. Thermolysis of (py)6Th2I4(µ2-Se2)2 leads to reduction of the bridging Se22- moieties, oxidation of the I- ligand, and formation of solid-state ThSe2 and I2.

Monomeric thorium chalcogenolates with bipyridine and terpyridine ligands.

Thorium chalcogenolates Th(ER)4 react with 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) to form complexes with the stoichiometry (bipy)2Th(ER)4 (E = S, Se; R = Ph, C6F5). All four compounds have been isolated and characterized by spectroscopic methods and low-temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction. Two of the products, (bipy)2Th(SC6F5)4 and (bipy)2Th(SeC6F5)4, crystallize with lattice solvent, (bipy)2Th(SPh)4 crystallizes with no lattice solvent, and the selenolate (bipy)2Th(SePh)4 crystallizes in two phases, with and without lattice solvent. In all four compounds the available volume for coordination bounded by the two bipy ligands is large enough to allow significant conformational flexibility of thiolate or selenolate ligands. 77Se NMR confirms that the structures of the selenolate products are the same in pyridine solution and in the solid state. Attempts to prepare analogous derivatives with 2,2',6',2''-terpyridine (terpy) were successful only in the isolation of (terpy)(py)Th(SPh)4, the first terpy compound of thorium. These materials are thermochromic, with color attributed to ligand-to-ligand charge transfer excitations.

Organosoluble tetravalent actinide di- and trifluorides.

Soluble molecular actinide(iv) fluorides can be prepared in high yield via redox or metathesis reactions of silver fluorides with actinide compounds containing ancillary iodide or fluorinated thiolate ligands. Two compounds, (py)4UF2I2·2py and (py)7Th2F5(SC6F5)3·2py were isolated and characterized by conventional methods, powder and low temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Thorium Cubanes-Synthesis, Solid-State and Solution Structures, Thermolysis, and Chalcogen Exchange Reactions.

Thorium cubanes (py)8Th4(µ3-E')4(µ2-EPh)4(η-EPh)4 (E, E' = S, Se) were prepared from ligand-based redox reactions of elemental E' with Th(EPh)4. Products with all four possible E/E' combinations (E,E' = S,S; Se,Se; S,Se; Se,S) were isolated and structurally characterized, ligand exchange reactions were explored, and the heterochalcogen compounds (py)8Th4(µ3-S)4(µ2-SePh)4(η-SePh)4 and (py)8Th4(µ3-Se)4(µ2-SPh)4(η-SPh)4 were heated to deliver solid solutions of ThS xSe2- x. NMR spectroscopy indicated that the structure of (py)8Th4(µ3-Se)4(µ2-SePh)4(η-SePh)4 is static in pyridine solution, with no exchange between bridging and terminal PhE- ligands on the NMR time scale. A computational analysis of 77Se NMR shifts provides insight into the solution structure of both clusters and monomeric chalcogenolates.

Efficient NIR Emission from Nd, Er, and Tm Complexes with Fluorinated Selenolate Ligands.

(DME)2Ln(SeC6F5)3 (Ln = Nd, Er, Tm) can be isolated in high yield by reductive cleavage of the Se-Se bond in (SeC6F5)2 with elemental Ln in DME. All three Ln compounds are isostructural, with 8 coordinate Ln bound to four O from DME, three terminally bound Se(C6F5), and a dative bond from an arene fluoride to a fluorine at the ortho position of one selenolate. Emission measurements indicate that these compounds are bright NIR sources.

Tetrametallic Thorium Compounds with Th4E4 (E = S, Se) Cubane Cores.

Tetrametallic thorium compounds with a Th4E4 core (E = S, Se) having a distorted cubane structure can be prepared by ligand-based reductions of elemental E with thorium chalcogenolates, prepared by in situ oxidation of Th metal with a 3:1 mixture of PhEEPh and F5C6EEC6F5. Four compounds, (py)8Th4S4(µ2-SPh)4(SC6F5)4, (py)8Th4S4(µ2-SPh)4(SeC6F5)4, (py)8Th4Se4(µ2-SePh)4(SeC6F5)4, and (py)8Th4Se4(µ2-SePh)4(SC6F5)4, were isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. These compounds clearly demonstrate the chemical impact of ring fluorination, with the less-nucleophilic EC6F5 ligands occupying the terminal binding sites and the EPh ligands bridging two metal centers. For this series of compounds, crystal packing and intermolecular π···π and H-bonding interactions result in a consistent motif and crystallization in a body-centered tetragonal unit cell. Solution-state 77Se NMR spectroscopy reveals that the solid-state structures are maintained in pyridine.

Thorium Compounds with Bonds to Sulfur or Selenium: Synthesis, Structure, and Thermolysis.

Thorium chalcogenolates Th(ER)4 (E = S, Se; R = Ph, C6F5) form pyridine complexes with a variety of coordination numbers. Four compounds, (py)4Th(SPh)4, (py)3Th(SePh)4, (py)3Th(SC6F5)4, and (py)4Th(SeC6F5)4, have been isolated and characterized by spectroscopic methods and low-temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction. Two of the products, (py)4Th(SPh)4 and (py)4Th(SeC6F5)4, have classic eight coordinate A4B4 square-antiprism geometries. The SePh compound is the only seven coordinate (4Se, 3N) product, and the fluorinated thiolate is distinctive in that the structure contains two dative interactions between Th and fluoride, to give a nine coordinate (3N, 4S, 2F) structure. The EPh compounds decompose thermally to give ThE2 and EPh2, while the fluorinated compounds give primarily ThF4, E2(C6F5)2, and E(C6F5)2.

Copper, indium, tin, and lead complexes with fluorinated selenolate ligands: precursors to MSex.

Reductive cleavage of C6F5SeSeC6F5 with elemental M (M = Cu, In, Sn, Pb) in pyridine results in the formation of (py)4Cu2(SeC6F5)2, (py)2In(SeC6F5)3, (py)2Sn(SeC6F5)2, and (py)2Pb(SeC6F5)2. Each group adopts a unique structure: the Cu(I) compound crystallizes as a dimer with a pair of bridging selenolates, two pyridine ligands coordinating to each Cu(I) ion, and a short Cu(I)-Cu(I) distance (2.595 Å). The indium compound crystallizes as monometallic five-coordinate (py)2In(SeC6F5)3 in a geometry that approximates a trigonal bipyramidal structure with two axial pyridine ligands and three selenolates. The tin and lead derivatives (py)2M(SeC6F5)2 are also monomeric, but they adopt nearly octahedral geometries with trans pyridine ligands, a pair of cis-selenolates, and two "empty" cis-positions on the octahedron that are oriented toward extremely remote selenolates (M-Se = 3.79 Å (Sn), 3.70 Å (Pb)) from adjacent molecules. Two of the four compounds (Cu, In) exhibit intermolecular π-π stacking arrangements in the solid state, whereas the stacking of molecules for the other two compounds (Sn, Pb) appears to be based upon molecular shape and crystal packing forces. All compounds are volatile and decompose at elevated temperatures to give MSex and Se(C6F5)2.The electronic structures of the dimeric Cu compound and monomeric (py)2M(SeC6F5)2 (M = Sn, Pb) were examined with density functional theory calculations.