The synthesis, characterization, and electronic structure of Cp*2Am(tBu2bipy•-) (1-Am) (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienide; tBu2bipy = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine), the first isolated and structurally verified americium complex containing a radical ligand, is reported. Theoretical calculations (DFT and multiconfigurational methods) alongside experimental comparisons of M-N distances reveal a greater degree of metal-ligand covalency in 1-Am compared to near-isoradial lanthanide counterparts 1-Nd and 1-Sm. Electrochemical studies suggest that 1-Am may behave as an "Am(II) synthon", and a preliminary attempt to probe the chemical reactivity of 1-Am is briefly discussed.
Lussier et al. (Thu,) studied this question.