Actinide complexes alcohols

The actinides have a high degree of specificity for neutral and anionic oxygen-containing organic molecules. The actinide complexes with O -donor ligands that are most widely studied include alkoxides, aryloxides amide, carboxylates, and oxalates. Complexes with alcohols, ethers, esters, ketones, aldehydes, ketoenolates, and carbamates have also been reported. 

Alcohols. Alcohols are among the most common solvate ligands in actinide chemistry (Table 13) historically the hydrated chloride complexes were reacted with alcohol in benzene, and the water of hydration removed by azeotropic distillation of the benzene. More recent examples result from the crystallization of anhydrous halides from alcoholic solvent. Similarly, solvates of alkoxide complexes result from rnetathesis or solvolysis reations in alcohol. The molecular structures of the halides AnCl4(Pr OH)4 (An = Th, U) have been reported,the coordination geometry about the metal is a distorted dodecahedron. 

Ureas. Urea adducts (and those of the closely related A-alkylated derivatives) may be prepared from nonaqueous solvents alternatively, preparation in aqueous alcoholic solution leads to the formation of hydrates. In contrast to the carbamides discussed above, there is relatively little variability in the coordination number of reported urea adducts of tetravalent actinides. Most complexes are either six- or seven-coordinate higher coordination numbers are observed for the larger thorium ion (Table 15). 

The actinide cations can form strong complexes with humic and fulvic acid ligands. This may reflect the presence of phenolic, amine, and alcoholic OH-groups, and also carbonate groups in... 

Actinide(IV) complexes, 1136-1178 alcohols, 1146 aldehydes, 1151 aliphatic amines, 1137 aliphatic hydroxy acids, 1159 alkoxides, 1147 amides, 1161 amine oxides, 1165 ammines, 1137 aqua,1144... 

Actinide(V) complexes, 1179-1187 alcohols, 1180 aliphatic amines, 1179 aliphatic hydroxy acids, 1183 alkoxides, 1181 amides, 1183 amines, 1179 aqua,1179... 

Stary (1966) cites the work of Street and Seaborg (1950) who found that group separation of the lanthanides and trivalent actinides can be done by cation exchange eluting with 20% ethanol saturated with HCl. The presence of the alcohol enhances the difference in chloride complex stability between the lanthanides and actinides as a result of partial dehydration of the cation in the 20% ethanol solution. 

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