A rare tetranuclear thorium(IV) μ4 -oxo cluster and dinuclear thorium(IV) complex assembled by carbon-oxygen bond activation of 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME).

The synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of two new multinuclear thorium complexes are reported. The tetranuclear μ4 -oxo cluster complex Th4 (μ4 -O)(μ-Cl)2 I6 [κ(2) (O,O')-μ-O(CH2 )2 OCH3 ]6 and the dinuclear complex Th2 I5 [κ(2) (O,O')-μ-O(CH2 )2 OCH3 ]3 (DME) (DME=dimethoxyethane) are formed by CO bond activation of 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) mediated by thorium iodide complexes.