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Uranium chemistry

An actinide milestone

Nature Chemistry volume 5, pages 451–452 (2013)Cite this article

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A complex featuring a uranium(VI) terminal nitride functional group has been isolated through mild oxidation, and shown to be highly reactive. Under photolysis, it converts into a compound that is capable of C–H bond activation.

The nature of the actinide–ligand bond has long been the subject of fascination and controversy amongst inorganic chemists. One question in particular that has dogged researchers for decades is the level of 5f orbital participation in actinide–ligand bonding1. Understanding the electronic structure of actinide–ligand bonds is not simply an interesting academic exercise; many of the proposed nuclear waste treatment strategies hinge on our ability to engage the actinide valence orbitals in bonding2. In this regard, the recent isolation of a U(VI) terminal nitride by Stephen Liddle and co-workers3, described in Nature Chemistry, sets a new benchmark for 5f orbital participation in bonding and opens the door for unprecedented actinide-mediated reactivity.

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Figure 1: Oxidation of the U(V) nitride 1 (where 12C4 is the cyclic crown ether 12-crown-4) resulting in formation of U(VI) nitride 2.

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  1. Trevor W. Hayton is at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA,

    Trevor W. Hayton

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  1. Trevor W. Hayton
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Correspondence to Trevor W. Hayton.

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Hayton, T. An actinide milestone. Nature Chem 5, 451–452 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1643

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