We describe the synthesis and characterization of 2-acetylpyridine-(2-aminobenzoylhydrazone) (HL¹) and its first dioxouranium complex. The single crystal X-ray structural analysis of the hydrazone, HL¹, reveals an almost planar structure with intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The complex [UO2(L¹)(dmf)2](NO3) is formed by refluxing a suspension of HL¹ with uranyl nitrate in methanol in the presence of a small quantity of triethylamine. Recrystallisation from dmf results in single crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography. The single crystal X-ray study of the complex shows a distorted pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination geometry around the uranium(VI) center, determined by two axial oxo ligands, two nitrogen and one oxygen atoms from a chelating monodeprotonated hydrazone and the oxygen donor atoms of two dimethylformamide molecules.
uranium; hydrazones; actinides; structure analysis
