Reductive Coupling of Acetonitrile by Uranium and Thorium Hydride Complexes To Give Cyanopentadienyl Dianion (C6N3H7)2−

The actinide metallocene hydrides [{(C5Me5)2UH}2] and [{(C5Me5)2ThH2}2] convert three equivalents of acetonitrile into a polydentate ligand containing a six carbon atom chain (see scheme). These reactions show that a ThIV hydride moiety can undergo chemistry similar to UIII in a multistep reaction.