Uranium-nitrogen multiple bonding: the case of a four-coordinate uranium(VI) nitridoborate complex.

Reaction of the azidoborate salt [N(n-Bu)(4)][(C(6)F(5))(3)B(N(3))] ([N(n-Bu)(4)][1]) with the uranium(III) tris(anilide) complex (THF)U(N[t-Bu]Ar)(3) (2; THF = tetrahydrofuran; Ar = 3,5-Me(2)C(6)H(3)) results in formation of the paramagnetic uranium(V) nitridoborate complex [N(n-Bu)(4)][(C(6)F(5))(3)BNU(N[t-Bu]Ar)(3)] ([N(n-Bu)(4)][3]). Chemical oxidation of [N(n-Bu)(4)][3] is facile and provides the diamagnetic uranium(VI) nitridoborate complex (C(6)F(5))(3)BNU(N[t-Bu]Ar)(3) (3). [N(n-Bu)(4)][3] and 3 are the first nitridoborate complexes of uranium and were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction methods, and elemental analysis. The X-ray crystal structures of [N(n-Bu)(4)][3] and 3 reveal extremely short UN(nitrido) distances (1.916(4) A and 1.880(4) A, respectively). Density functional theory was used to calculate the optimized structure of the truncated model (C(6)F(5))(3)BNU(N[Me]Ph)(3); the procedure was carried out similarly for several other relevant complexes featuring UN multiple bonds. Bond multiplicities based on Nalewajski-Mrozek valence indices were calculated, the results of which suggest that the UN(nitrido) interaction in 3 is close to a full triple bond.