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Two organometallic 1D infinite coordination polymers and two organometallic monometallic complexes of thorium diazide have been synthesized and characterized. Steric control of these self-assembled arrays, which are dense in thorium and nitrogen, has also been demonstrated: infinite chains can be circumvented by using steric bulk either at the metallocene or with a donor ligand in the wedge., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Bimetallic ytterbocene complexes with bridging N-heterocylic ligands have been studied extensively in recent years due to their potential applications ranging from molecular wires to single-molecule magnets. Herein, we review our recent results for a series of ytterbocene polypyridyl bimetallic complexes to highlight the versatility and tunability of these systems based on simple changes in bridging ligand geometry. Our work has involved structural, electrochemical, optical, and magnetic measurements with the goal of better understanding the electronic and magnetic communication between the two ytterbium metal centers in this new class of bimetallics.

Reaction of two equivalents of [(C5Me4Et)2U(CH3)(Cl)] (6) or [(C5Me5)2Th(CH3)(Br)] (7) with 1,4-dicyanobenzene leads to the formation of the novel 1,4-phenylenediketimide-bridged bimetallic organoactinide complexes [((C5Me4Et)2(Cl)U)(2)(mu-(N=C(CH3)-C6H4-(CH3)C=N))] (8) and [((C5Me5)2(Br)Th)2(mu-(N=C(CH3)-C6H4- (CH3)C==N))] (9), respectively. These complexes were structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy. Metal-metal interactions in these isovalent bimetallic systems were assessed by means of cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible/NIR absorption spectroscopy, and variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility. Although evidence for magnetic coupling between metal centers in the bimetallic U IV/U IV (5f2-5f2) complex is ambiguous, the complex displays appreciable electronic communication between the metal centers through the pi system of the dianionic diketimide bridging ligand, as judged by voltammetry. The transition intensities of the f-f bands for the bimetallic U IV/U IV system decrease substantially compared to the related monometallic ketimide chloride complex, [(C5Me5)2U(Cl)(-N=C(CH3)-(3,4,5-F(3)-C6H2))] (11). Also reported herein are new synthetic routes to the actinide starting materials [(C5Me4Et)(2)U(CH3)(Cl)] (6) and [(C5Me5)2Th(CH3)(Br)] (7) in addition to the syntheses and structures of the monometallic uranium complexes [(C5Me4Et)2UCl2] (3), [(C5Me4Et)2U(CH3)2] (4), [(C5Me4Et)2U(-N==C(CH3)-C6H4-C==N)2] (10), and 11.