IR spectroscopic investigation of the structure of polymeric uranyl di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate molecules in C6H6 and CCl4 solutions

Using IR spectroscopy, we studied the types of coordination of POO groups in di(2-ethylthexyl)phosphate anionx X⁻ with UO ₂ ²⁺ cations in the C₆H₆ and CCl₄ solutions of the polymer molecules (UO₂X₂)_p. The polymers exhibit tridentate-bridge coordination (I), which is not typical of (MX_n)_p salts where the phosphoryl oxygen atom forms two bonds with U(VI) atoms. When a few U(VI) atoms (≳7%) interact with donar additives, all POO group I change their coordination to the usual bidentate-bridge type, , resulting in a structural transformation of the polymer. The bridging POO group are responsible for the difference in the dimerization and trimerization constants and the constants of the subsequent addition of the monomer molecules UO₂X₂ to the polymer chain (UO₂X₂)_p. It is suggested that type I coordination of X⁻ to U(VI) is due to an extended bond between the 2p²-electrons of the phosphoryl oxygen atom of the X⁻ anion and a vacant f-orbital of the U(VI) atom (p_π−f_π interaction). This unusual type of bond between uranium (VI) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) phosphoryl oxygen was found earlier for the UO₂Cl₂·2TBP complex. Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturmoi Khimii, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 60–65, November–December, 1994. Translated by K. Shaposhnikova