Synthesis,crystal structure,spectroscopy, and electrochemistry of a uranium complex

A uranium coordination compound with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid in deionized water has been synthesized and characterized by IR, UV, XPS, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic system, space group C2/c with a?=?1.8427(4)?nm, b?=?0.6886(16)?nm, c?=?1.5442(4)?nm, α?=?90°, β?=?94.082(2)°, γ?=?90°, Z?=?4, and V?=?1.9544(8)?nm³. The structure shows an eight-coordinate uranium forming a hexagonal bi-pyramidal 3-D geometry with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate as building units. Fluorescent studies show several strong emissions. Cyclic voltammetric measurement of the compound reveals that uranium(VI) is reduced irreversibly at E _1/2?=?927?mV with ΔE _p?=?77?mV, E _1/2?=??289?mV with ΔE _p?=?113?mV. The electron transfer number (n) involved in reduction processes could be calculated to be approximately two and one, which corresponded to the unusual U(VI)/U(IV) and U(IV)/U(III) couples.