Actinide complexes aromatic amines

A number of actinide complexes have been investigated with respect to their catalytic activity in the intermolecular hydroamination of terminal alkynes with primary ahphatic and aromatic amines [98, 206-209]. Secondary amines generally do not react and the reaction is believed to proceed via an metal-imido species similar to that of group 4 metal complexes. The reaction of Cp 2UMc2 with sterically less-demanding aliphatic amines leads exclusively to the anti-Markovnikov adduct in form of the -imine (31) [207] however, sterically more demanding amines, e.g., t-BuNH2, result in exclusive alkyne dimerization. The ferrocene-diamido uranium complex 12 (Fig. 4) catalyzes the addition of aromatic amines very efficiently (32) [98]. 

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