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Names | |
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IUPAC name Bis(η8-cyclooctatetraene)plutonium [1] | |
Other names Plutonium cyclooctatetraenide Pu(COT)2 | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) | |
PubChem CID | |
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Properties | |
C16H16Pu | |
Molar mass | 452 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | cherry red crystals |
insoluble, does not react with water | |
Solubility in chlorocarbons | sparingly soluble (ca. 0.5 g/L) |
Hazards | |
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards | radiation hazard, pyrophoric, toxic |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). |
Plutonocene, Pu(C8H8)2, is an organoplutonium compound composed of a plutonium atom sandwiched between two cyclooctatetraenide (COT2-) rings. It is a dark red, very air-sensitive solid that is sparingly soluble in toluene and chlorocarbons. [2] [3] Plutonocene is a member of the actinocene family of metallocenes incorporating actinide elements in the +4 oxidation state.
Compared to other actinocenes such as uranocene, plutonocene has been studied to a lesser degree since the 1980s due to the notable radiation hazard posed by the compound. [4] [5] Instead, it has mostly been the subject of theoretical studies relating to the bonding in the molecule. [5] [6]
The compound has been structurally characterised by single crystal XRD. [4] [5] The cyclooctatetraenide rings are eclipsed and assume a planar conformation with 8 equivalent C–C bonds of 1.41 Å length; the molecule possesses a centre of inversion at the position occupied by the plutonium atom. [4] [5] The Pu–COT distance (to the ring centroid) is 1.90 Å and the individual Pu–C distances are in the 2.63–2.64 Å range. [4]
Despite the similarity in molecular structures, plutonocene crystals are not isomorphous to other actinocenes, as plutonocene crystallises in the monoclinic I2/m space group whereas thorocene, protactinocene, uranocene and neptunocene all crystallise as monoclinic P21/n. [4]
Theoretical calculations utilising various computational chemistry methods support the existence of an enhanced covalent character in plutonocene from the interaction of Pu 6d and 5f atomic orbitals with ligand-based π orbitals. [3] [5] [6]
Plutonocene was first synthesized in 1970 form the reaction of tetraethylammonium hexachloroplutonate(IV) ([N(C2H5)4]2PuCl6) with dipotassium cyclooctatetraenide (K2(C8H8)) in THF at room temperature: [2] [3]
This approach is different compared to the synthesis of other actinocenes which usually involves the reaction of the actinide tetrachloride AnCl4 with K2(C8H8); this is not possible in the case of plutonium, as no stable plutonium(IV) chloride species is known. [5] The reaction also does not work when using the caesium or pyridinium hexachloroplutonate(IV) salts in the place of the tetraethylammonium one. [2]
A more recent synthesis involves 1 e− oxidation of the green [K(crypt)][PuIII(C8H8)2] salt with AgI: [4]
The [PuIII(C8H8)2]− anion is obtained via ligand substitution from K2(C8H8) and other organoplutonium(III) complexes, which can be ultimately derived from reduction of the more common PuO2 with HBr in THF. [4] PuIII halides PuCl3 and PuI3 have also been used as the plutonium starting material. [4] [5]
The product is chemically analogous to uranocene and neptunocene, and they practically exhibit identical chemical reactivity. All three compounds are insensitive to water or dilute aqueous base, but are air-sensitive and react quickly to form oxides. [2] [3] [4] They are only slightly soluble (with saturation concentrations of about 10−3 M) in aromatic or chlorinated solvents such as benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride or chloroform. [2] [3]