N. A. Siladke, J. W. Ziller, W. J. Evans
ARTICLE
powder (246 mg, 90 %). 1H NMR (C6D6): δ = –4.37 (s, 18 H,
C5Me4SiMe3), 2.88 (s, 12 H, C5Me4SiMe3), 6.56 (s, 12 H,
C5Me4SiMe3) ppm. Only the ring methyl and trimethylsilyl resonances
(4)
were located in the 1H NMR spectrum. IR: ν = 3052 (s), 2953 (s),
˜
2907 (s), 1591 (s), 1431 (s), 1317 (w), 1240 (vs), 1030 (w), 884 (w),
837 (vs), 747 (s), 701 (vs) cm–1. C48H62BSi2U (944.03): calcd. C
61.07, H 6.62; found C 57.87, H 5.97. Repeated analysis of this com-
pound gave incomplete combustion as is sometimes observed with f
element complexes [3, 10]. The 1.24 H:C ratio found is close to the
1.30 ratio calculated.
To explore these two synthetic options and to make uranium
vs. lanthanum comparisons, the synthesis of (C5Me4SiMe3)3U
was examined. This has led to the most crowded (C5R5)3M
complex structurally characterized to date. The reactivity of
the complex was preliminarily examined to see if it would
effect ring opening of THF, a reaction well characterized for
lanthanides by Schumann and co-workers [7].
(C5Me4SiMe3)3U (4): In a glovebox free of coordinating solvents,
KC5Me4SiMe3 (150 mg, 0.63 mmol) was added to a stirred brown so-
lution of 3 (390 mg, 0.42 mmol) in toluene (15 mL). After the brown
solution was stirred for 12 h, it was centrifuged to remove insoluble
material and the solvent was removed under vacuum to yield 4 as a
brown microcrystalline solid (324 mg, 95 %). X-ray quality crystals
Experimental Section
1
of 4 were grown from a concentrated hexane solution at –35 °C. H
The syntheses and manipulations described below were conducted un-
der argon with rigorous exclusion of air and water using glovebox,
Schlenk, and vacuum-line techniques. All reactions were performed at
room temperature unless otherwise noted. Solvents were dried by pas-
sage through columns containing Q-5 and 4A molecular sieves.
[D6]Benzene and [D8]THF were dried with sodium-potassium alloy,
degassed using three freeze-pump-thaw cycles, and vacuum transferred
before use. (C5Me4SiMe3)2UMe2 (1) [1], and [HNEt3][BPh4] [8] were
prepared as previously reported. KC5Me4SiMe3 was prepared accord-
ing to the procedure reported for KC5Me5 [9]. Potassium metal in oil
was purchased from Aldrich, washed with hexanes to remove the oil,
and dried under vacuum before use. NMR spectra were recorded with
a Bruker DRX 500 MHz spectrometer at 25 °C. Infrared spectra were
recorded as KBr pellets with a Varian 1000 FT-IR spectrometer. Ele-
mental analysis was performed with a Perkin–Elmer 2400 CHN analy-
zer.
NMR (C6D6): δ = –16.7 (s, 27 H, C5Me4SiMe3), –3.80 (s, 18 H,
C Me SiMe ), 14.6 (s, 18 H, C Me SiMe ) ppm. IR: ν = 2952 (s),
˜
5
4
3
5
4
3
2899 (s), 2084 (w), 1429 (m), 1321 (m 1248s), 1207 (w), 1016 (m),
839 (vs), 753 (m), 748 (m), 717 (m) cm–1. C36H63Si3U (818.18): calcd.
C 52.85, H 7.76; found C 52.91, H 7.56.
(C5Me4SiMe3)2UO[(CH2)4(C5Me4SiMe3)](THF): In a glovebox con-
taining coordinating solvents, excess THF (5 mL) was added to 4
(10 mg, 0.012 mmol) resulting in a green solution. The solvent was
removed under vacuum yielding a tacky green solid. The 1H NMR
spectrum in C6D6 contained resonances expected for the THF ring
opened product: δ = –8.18 (s, 12 H, C5Me4SiMe3), –7.00 (s, 18 H,
C5Me4SiMe3), –5.59 (s, 12 H, C5Me4SiMe3), –0.028 (s, 9 H, SiMe3),
1.82 (s, 6 H, C5Me4SiMe3), 1.91 (s, 6 H, C5Me4SiMe3), 2.00 (s, 2 H,
CH2), 2.36 (s, 2 H, CH2), 2.83 (s, 2 H, CH2), 3.32 (s, 2 H, CH2), 4.38
(m, THF), 6.80 (m, THF) (half height line widths ranged from 2 to
300 Hz) ppm. Similarly, in a stoichiometric reaction, THF (2.1 μL,
0.026 mmol) was added to 4 (11 mg, 0.013 mmol) in C6D6 (1 mL).
1
1
Syntheses
The H NMR spectrum was recorded, which gave the same H NMR
spectroscopic data as above.
(C5Me4SiMe3)2UMe2K (2): An orange solution of 1 (240 mg,
0.36 mmol) in toluene (15 mL) was added to a vial of toluene (5 mL)
that contained a smear of potassium metal (14 mg, 0.37 mmol). This
mixture was allowed to stir for 4 d with periodic scraping (twice per
day) of the potassium metal from the vial walls. The resulting green
suspension was centrifuged and the soluble portion discarded. The
solid was washed three times with toluene and dried under vacuum to
yield 2 as a green-gray powder (200 mg, 80 %). 1H NMR ([D8]THF):
δ = –13.9 (s, 12 H, C5Me4SiMe3), –12.5 (s, 12 H, C5Me4SiMe3), –3.92
(s, 18 H, C5Me4SiMe3) ppm. Only the ring methyl and trimethylsilyl
resonances were located in the 1H NMR spectrum of this paramagnetic
Crystallographic Data
CCDC-778886 contains the supplementary crystallographic data for
this paper. These data can be obtained free of charge from The Cam-
quest/cif
Supporting Information (see footnote on the first page of this article):
X-ray Data Collection, Structure Solution and Refinement for
(C5Me4SiMe3)3U (4). NMR spectra of the elemental analysis samples
for 2 and 3.
complex. IR: ν = 2949 (s), 2899 (s), 1583 (w), 1444 (w), 1389 (w),
˜
1319 (m), 1247 (s), 1127 (w), 1017 (w), 833 (vs), 749 (s) cm–1.
C26H48KSi2U (693.96): calcd. C 44.88, H 6.95; found C 43.55, H 6.75.
Repeated analysis of this compound gave incomplete combustion as is
sometimes observed with f element complexes [3, 10]. The 1.86 H:C
ratio found matches the 1.86 ratio calculated.
Results and Discussion
Synthesis
[(C5Me4SiMe3)2U][BPh4] (3): [HNEt3][BPh4] (250 mg, 0.58 mmol)
was added to a stirred green suspension of 2 (200 mg, 0.3 mmol) in
benzene (15 mL). After 5 min, the solution began to turn dark brown
and was allowed to stir for an additional 12 h. The solution was centri-
fuged to remove insoluble material, and the solvent was removed under
vacuum to yield a tacky brown powder. This solid was dissolved in
methylcyclohexane (15 mL) and centrifuged to remove insoluble ma-
The synthesis of (C5Me4SiMe3)3U was pursued in analogy
to the synthesis of (C5Me5)3U [11]. (C5Me4SiMe3)2UMe2 (1),
is reduced by potassium to make the U3+ “ate” salt,
(C5Me4SiMe3)2UMe2K (2), as a green-gray solid [Equation
(5)]. Complex 2 was characterized by NMR and IR spectro-
terial. The solvent was under vacuum removed to yield 3 as a brown scopy and by elemental analysis.
© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2010, 2347–2351