The first uranyl arsonates featuring heterometallic cation-cation interactions with U(VI)═O-Zn(II) bonding.

Two new uranyl arsonates, Zn(UO(2))(PhAsO(3))(2)L·H(2)O [L = 1,10-phenanthroline (1) and 2,2'-bipyridine (2)], have been synthesized by hydrothermal reactions of phenylarsonic acid, L, and ZnUO(2)(OAc)(4)·7H(2)O. Single-crystal X-ray analyses demonstrate that these two compounds are isostructural and exhibit one-dimensional chains in which U(VI) and Zn(II) cations are directly connected by the yl oxygen atoms and additionally bridged by arsonate groups. Both compounds represent the first examples of uranyl arsonates with heterometallic cation-cation interactions.