title: Comparative study of f-element electronic structure across a series of multimetallic actinide and lanthanoid-actinide complexes possessing redox-active bridging ligands.
abstract: A comparative examination of the electronic interactions across a series of trimetallic actinide and mixed lanthanide-actinide and lanthanum-actinide complexes is presented. Using reduced, radical terpyridyl ligands as conduits in a bridging framework to promote intramolecular metal-metal communication, studies containing structural, electrochemical, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are reported for (C(5)Me(5))(2)An[-N horizontal lineC(Bn)(tpy-M{C(5)Me(4)R}(2))](2) (where An = Th(IV), U(IV); Bn = CH(2)C(6)H(5); M = La(III), Sm(III), Yb(III), U(III); R = H, Me, Et) to reveal effects dependent on the identities of the metal ions and R-groups. The electrochemical results show differences in redox energetics at the peripheral "M" site between complexes and significant wave splitting of the metal- and ligand-based processes indicating substantial electronic interactions between multiple redox sites across the actinide-containing bridge. Most striking is the appearance of strong electronic coupling for the trimetallic Yb(III)-U(IV)-Yb(III), Sm(III)-U(IV)-Sm(III), and La(III)-U(IV)-La(III) complexes, [8](-), [9b](-), and [10b](-), respectively, whose calculated comproportionation constant K(c) is slightly larger than that reported for the benchmark Creutz-Taube ion. X-ray absorption studies for monometallic metallocene complexes of U(III), U(IV), and U(V) reveal small but detectable energy differences in the "white-line" feature of the uranium L(III)-edges consistent with these variations in nominal oxidation state. The sum of these data provides evidence of 5f/6d-orbital participation in bonding and electronic delocalization in these multimetallic f-element complexes. An improved, high-yielding synthesis of 4'-cyano-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine is also reported.
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Schelter
authors.forename: Ruilian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Veauthier
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Corwin H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Brian L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Joe D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Jaqueline L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kiplinger