Actinide-lanthanide single electron metal-metal bond formed in mixed-valence di-metallofullerenes.

ABSTRACT: Understanding metal-metal bonding involving f-block elements has been a challenging goal in chemistry. Here we report a series of mixed-valence di-metallofullerenes, ThDy@C_2n (2n = 72, 76, 78, and 80) and ThY@C_2n (2n = 72 and 78), which feature single electron actinide-lanthanide metal-metal bonds, characterized by structural, spectroscopic and computational methods. Crystallographic characterization unambiguously confirmed that Th and Y or Dy are encapsulated inside variably sized fullerene carbon cages. The ESR study of ThY@D_3h(5)-C₇₈ shows a doublet as expected for an unpaired electron interacting with Y, and a SQUID magnetometric study of ThDy@D_3h(5)-C₇₈ reveals a high-spin ground state for the whole molecule. Theoretical studies further confirm the presence of a single-electron bonding interaction between Y or Dy and Th, due to a significant overlap between hybrid spd orbitals of the two metals.

SUBMITTER: Yan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10589252 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature