In
order to examine the possibility of Lewis acid–Lewis
base (LA–LB) interactions between the boron atom of B(C6F5)2OH and the oxo groups (“yl”
oxygen atoms) of uranyl β-diketonato complexes, we have measured
the 1H, 11B, 17O, 19F
NMR and IR spectra of toluene solutions containing β-diketonato
complexes [UO2(acac)2DMSO or UO2(dfh)2DMSO, where acac = 2,4-pentanedionate, dfh = 1,1,1,2,2,6,6,7,7,7-decafluoroheptane-3,5-dionate,
and DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide] and B(C6F5)2OH. 11B and 17O NMR spectra of solutions
containing UO2(dfh)2DMSO and B(C6F5)2OH showed no change in their chemical shifts
regardless of the [B(C6F5)2OH]/[UO2(dfh)2DMSO] ratio. This indicates that there were
no apparent interactions between B(C6F5)2OH and UO2(dfh)2DMSO. On the other hand,
in the corresponding NMR spectra of solutions containing UO2(acac)2DMSO and B(C6F5)2OH, new signals were observed at a higher field than signals observed
in the solutions containing only B(C6F5)2OH or UO2(acac)2DMSO, and their intensity
changed with the [B(C6F5)2OH]/[UO2(acac)2DMSO] ratio. These results reveal that a
complex with LA–LB interaction (B···OU)
between the boron atom of B(C6F5)2OH and the “yl” oxygen atom of UO2(acac)2DMSO was formed. IR spectra also supported such complex formation;
i.e., the asymmetric OUO stretching band of UO2(acac)2DMSO was observed to shift from 897 to 810
cm–1 with the addition of B(C6F5)2OH. Moreover, 19F NMR spectra indicated that
1:1 and 2:1 LA–LB complexes exist in equilibrium, UO{OB(C6F5)2OH}(acac)2DMSO + B(C6F5)2OH = U{OB(C6F5)2OH}2(acac)2DMSO. The thermodynamic
parameters for this equilibrium were obtained as K = (2.5 ± 0.6) × 102 M–1 (at
25 °C), ΔH = −42.4 ± 5.2 kJ
mol–1, and ΔS = −96.7
± 19.4 J K–1 mol–1. In 1H NMR spectra, the signal due to −CH groups of UO2(acac)2DMSO disappeared, and three signals due
to the corresponding −CH groups newly appeared with an increase
in the [B(C6F5)2OH]/[UO2(acac)2DMSO] ratio. From these phenomena, it is proposed
that 1:1 and 2:1 LA–LB complexes having interactions between
the −CH groups of acac and the −OH group of coordinated
B(C6F5)2OH are formed depending on
the [B(C6F5)2OH]/[UO2(acac)2DMSO] ratio.