The first urea azine molecule and its coordination to uranium in the first actinide guanidinate complexes

Abstract

The urea azine molecule (CyNH)₂CN–NC(HNCy)₂ (1) was easily prepared by reaction of the carbodiimide CyNCNCy and H₂NNH₂ and this novel type of bis-guanidine proved useful in affording chelating and bridging ligands for the building of polynuclear compounds, as illustrated by the synthesis of the first uranium guanidinate complexes [(THF)₂Li(μ-Cl)₂UCl(μ-L)]₂ (2) and [UCl(μ-L)₂UCl₂(μ-Cl)₂UCl(μ-L)]₂ (3) (L = 1 − 2H); the X-ray crystal structures of compounds 1–3 were determined.