title: Mechanistic studies on the reductive cyclooligomerisation of CO by U(III) mixed sandwich complexes; the molecular structure of [(U(eta-C8H6{Si(i)Pr3-1,4}2)(eta-Cp*)]2(mu-eta1:eta1-C2O2).
abstract: The stoichiometric reaction of 1 equiv of CO with [(U(eta-C8H6{SiiPr3-1,4}2)(eta-Cp*)] affords the linear diuranium ynediolate complex [(U(eta-C8H6{SiiPr3-1,4}2)(eta-Cp*)]2(mu-eta1:eta1-C2O2) which does not react with further CO to give the deltate derivative [(U(eta-C8H6{SiiPr3-1,4}2)(eta-Cp*)]2(mu-eta1:eta2-C3O3). Spectroscopic and computational studies suggest a plausible mechanism for the formation of the deltate complex, in which a "zig-zag" diuranium ynediolate species is the key intermediate.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK.
authors.forename: Alistair S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.forename: F Geoffrey N
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Cloke
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Hitchcock
authors.forename: Iain J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aitken