Structural Variation within Homometallic Uranium(VI) Carboxyphosphonates: In Situ Ligand Synthesis, Directed Assembly, Metal−Ligand Coordination and Hydrogen Bonding

Abstract

Four 2D uranium(VI) carboxyphosphonates, (UO 2)(O 3PCH 2CO 2H) ( 1), (UO 2) 4(HO 3PCH 2CO 2)(O 3PCH 2CO 2) 2(H 2O) 4.3H 2O ( 2), (UO 2)(O 3PCH 2CO 2).NH 4.H 2O (3), and (UO 2) 3(O 3PCH(CH 3)CO 2) 2(O 3PCH(CH 3)CO 2H).2NH 4.H 2O (4) have been prepared using hydrothermal techniques. Their crystal structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and structural features have been confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. 1, 2, and 3 are constructed from the UO 2 (2+) cation and phosphonoacetate, (O 3PCH 2CO 2), molecules, whereas 4 consists of U(VI) coordinated to 2-phosphonopropionate, (O 3PCH(CH 3)CO 2), units. The thermal and fluorescent behaviors of these materials have also been investigated. The organophosphonate linkers observed in 2 and 4 were produced via the in situ hydrolysis of trialkylphosphonate starting materials.