Plutonocene, Pu(C
8H
8)
2, is an organoplutonium compound composed of a
plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...
atom
sandwiched between two
cyclooctatetraenide
1,3,5,7-Cyclooctatetraene (COT) is an unsaturated derivative of cyclooctane, with the formula C8H8. It is also known as nnulene. This polyunsaturated hydrocarbon is a colorless to light yellow flammable liquid at room temperature. Because of ...
(COT
2-) rings. It is a dark red, very
air-sensitive Air sensitivity is a term used, particularly in chemistry, to denote the reactivity of chemical compounds with some constituent of air. Most often, reactions occur with atmospheric oxygen (O2) or water vapor (H2O), although reactions with the other ...
solid that is sparingly soluble in
toluene
Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) at ...
and
chlorocarbons
An organochloride, organochlorine compound, chlorocarbon, or chlorinated hydrocarbon is an organic compound containing at least one covalently bonded atom of chlorine. The chloroalkane class ( alkanes with one or more hydrogens substituted by chlo ...
.
Plutonocene is a member of the
actinocene
Actinocenes are a family of organoactinide compounds consisting of metallocenes containing elements from the actinide series. They typically have a sandwich structure with two dianionic cyclooctatetraenyl ligands (COT2-, which is ) bound to an ac ...
family of
metallocene
A metallocene is a compound typically consisting of two cyclopentadienyl anions (, abbreviated Cp) bound to a metallic element, metal center (M) in the oxidation state II, with the resulting general formula Closely related to the metallocenes are ...
s incorporating
actinide
The actinide () or actinoid () series encompasses the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers from 89 to 103, actinium through lawrencium. The actinide series derives its name from the first element in the series, actinium. The inform ...
elements in the +4
oxidation state
In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical charge of an atom if all of its bonds to different atoms were fully ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom in a chemical compound. C ...
.
Compared to other actinocenes such as
uranocene
Uranocene, U(C8H8)2, is an organouranium compound composed of a uranium atom sandwiched between two cyclooctatetraenide rings. It was one of the first organoactinide compounds to be synthesized. It is a green air-sensitive solid that dissolves in ...
, plutonocene has been studied to a lesser degree since the 1980s due to the notable
radiation hazard posed by the compound.
Instead, it has mostly been the subject of theoretical studies relating to the bonding in the molecule.
Structure and bonding
The compound has been structurally characterised by
single crystal XRD.
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.
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.
Despite the
similarity in molecular structures, plutonocene crystals are not
isomorphous
In mathematics, an isomorphism is a structure-preserving mapping between two structures of the same type that can be reversed by an inverse mapping. Two mathematical structures are isomorphic if an isomorphism exists between them. The word is ...
to other actinocenes, as plutonocene crystallises in the
monoclinic
In crystallography, the monoclinic crystal system is one of the seven crystal systems. A crystal system is described by three vectors. In the monoclinic system, the crystal is described by vectors of unequal lengths, as in the orthorhombic s ...
''I''2/''m'' space group whereas
thorocene
Actinocenes are a family of organoactinide compounds consisting of metallocenes containing elements from the actinide series. They typically have a sandwich structure with two dianionic cyclooctatetraenyl ligands (COT2-, which is ) bound to an ...
, protactinocene,
uranocene
Uranocene, U(C8H8)2, is an organouranium compound composed of a uranium atom sandwiched between two cyclooctatetraenide rings. It was one of the first organoactinide compounds to be synthesized. It is a green air-sensitive solid that dissolves in ...
and
neptunocene
Neptunocene, Np(C8H8)2, is an organoneptunium compound composed of a neptunium atom sandwiched between two cyclooctatetraenide (COT2-) rings. As a solid it has a dark brown/red colour but it appears yellow when dissolved in chlorocarbons, in whi ...
all crystallise as monoclinic ''P''2
1/''n.''
Theoretical calculations utilising various
computational chemistry
Computational chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses computer simulation to assist in solving chemical problems. It uses methods of theoretical chemistry, incorporated into computer programs, to calculate the structures and properties of m ...
methods support the existence of an enhanced
covalent
A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms ...
character in plutonocene from the interaction of Pu 6''d'' and 5''f'' atomic orbitals with ligand-based π orbitals.
Synthesis
Plutonocene was first synthesized in 1970 form the reaction of
tetraethylammonium
Tetraethylammonium (TEA), () or (Et4N+) is a quaternary ammonium cation consisting of four ethyl groups attached to a central nitrogen atom, and is positively charged. It is a counterion used in the research laboratory to prepare lipophilic salts ...
hexachloroplutonate(IV) (
2H5)4">(C2H5)4sub>2PuCl
6) with
dipotassium cyclooctatetraenide
Dipotassium cyclooctatetraenide, sometimes abbreviated K2COT, is an organopotassium compound with the formula K2C8H8. It is a brown solid that is used as a precursor to cyclooctatetraenide complexes, such as uranocene (U(C8H8)2). Analogs of K2C ...
(K
2(C
8H
8)) in
THF
Tetrahydrofuran (THF), or oxolane, is an organic compound with the formula (CH2)4O. The compound is classified as heterocyclic compound, specifically a cyclic ether. It is a colorless, water- miscible organic liquid with low viscosity. It is ...
at room temperature:
: (NEt
4)
2PuCl
6 + 2 K
2(C
8H
8) → Pu(C
8H
8)
2 + 2 NEt
4Cl + 4 KCl
This approach is different compared to the synthesis of other actinocenes which usually involves the reaction of the actinide tetrachloride AnCl
4 with K
2(C
8H
8); this is not possible in the case of plutonium, as no stable plutonium(IV) chloride species is known.
The reaction also does not work when using the
caesium
Caesium (IUPAC spelling) (or cesium in American English) is a chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-golden alkali metal with a melting point of , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that a ...
or
pyridinium
Pyridinium refers to the cation . It is the conjugate acid of pyridine. Many related cations are known involving substituted pyridines, e.g. picolines, lutidines, collidines. They are prepared by treating pyridine with acids.
As pyridine is oft ...
hexachloroplutonate(IV) salts in the place of the tetraethylammonium one.
A more recent synthesis involves 1 e
− oxidation of the green
crypt
A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
)][Pu
III(C
8H
8)
2] salt with Silver iodide, AgI:
:
III(C8H8)2">uIII(C8H8)2sup>− + AgI → Pu(C
8H
8)
2 + Ag
0 + I
−
The
III(C8H8)2">uIII(C8H8)2sup>− anion is obtained ''via'' ligand substitution from K
2(C
8H
8) and other organoplutonium(III) complexes, which can be ultimately derived from reduction of the more common
PuO2 with
HBr in THF.
Pu
III halides
PuCl3 and
PuI3 have also been used as the plutonium starting material.
Other properties
The product is chemically analogous to
uranocene
Uranocene, U(C8H8)2, is an organouranium compound composed of a uranium atom sandwiched between two cyclooctatetraenide rings. It was one of the first organoactinide compounds to be synthesized. It is a green air-sensitive solid that dissolves in ...
and
neptunocene
Neptunocene, Np(C8H8)2, is an organoneptunium compound composed of a neptunium atom sandwiched between two cyclooctatetraenide (COT2-) rings. As a solid it has a dark brown/red colour but it appears yellow when dissolved in chlorocarbons, in whi ...
, 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.
They are only slightly soluble (with saturation concentrations of about 10
−3 M) in aromatic or chlorinated solvents such as
benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...
,
toluene
Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) at ...
,
carbon tetrachloride
Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as tetrachloromethane, also IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, recognised by the IUPAC, carbon tet in the cleaning industry, Halon-104 in firefighting, and Refrigerant-10 in HVAC ...
or
chloroform
Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...
.
References
{{Plutonium compounds
Plutonium(IV) compounds
Organoactinide compounds
Metallocenes