The
synthesis, structure, and solid-state UV–vis–NIR
spectroscopy of four new f-element squarates, M2(C4O4)3(H2O)4 (M
= Eu, Am, Cf) and Sm(C4O4)(C4O3OH)(H2O)2·0.5H2O, four
new cationic lanthanide squarate chlorides, [M4(C4O4)5(H2O)12]Cl2·5H2O (M = Eu, Dy, Ho Er), and two new actinide squarate
oxalates, M2(C4O4)2(C2O4)(H2O)4 (M = Am, Cf), are
presented. All of the metal centers are trivalent. Single-crystal
X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that M2(C4O4)3(H2O)4 and Sm(C4O4)(C4O3OH)(H2O)2·0.5H2O have a two-dimensional sheet
structure constructed from MO7(H2O)2 monocapped square-antiprismatic (coordination number (CN) = 9) metal
centers and SmO6(H2O)2 square-antiprismatic
(CN = 8) metal centers, respectively, whereas M2(C4O4)2(C2O4)(H2O)4 have a three-dimensional (3D) structure constructed
from MO7(H2O)2 monocapped square-antiprismatic
(CN = 9) metal centers. Additionally, the cationic framework materials
[M4(C4O4)5(H2O)12]Cl2·5H2O have a 3D structure
constructed from two crystallographically unique MO5(H2O)3 square-antiprismatic (CN = 8) metal centers.
In these structures, the squarate ligands bind to the metal centers
with varying coordination modes and denticities. The results of this
study provide another example of the nonparallel chemistry between
the lanthanides and transplutonium elements. From the crystallographic
data for the isotypic series M2(C4O4)3(H2O)4 (M = La–Nd, Sm,
Eu) and the linear regression fit to a plot of the unit cell volume
as a function of the cube of the ionic radius, the nine-coordinate
ionic radius of Cf 3+ was determined to be 1.127
± 0.003 Å. Finally, computational analysis of the americium
and californium complexes M2(C4O4)3(H2O)4 and M2(C4O4)2(C2O4)(H2O)4 reveals three important attributes: (i) the
5f orbitals are nonbonding in all cases, with the bonding differences
occurring with the empty 6d orbitals; (ii) the Cf complexes exhibit
more covalent character than their Am counterparts; and (iii) there
is more covalent character in the squarate-oxalate complexes than
in the squarate complexes.