Tris(acrylato)uranylates as a scaffold for NLO materials

Novel uranyl acrylate complexes with general formula R[UO2(CH2CHCOO)(3)] (R=K+, NH4+, Rb+, or Cs+) were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy and second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements. All four compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the non-centrosymmetric P2(1)3 space group. Acrylate anions act as bidentate chelating ligands forming [UO2(CH2CHCOO)(3)](-) complexes which are connected through electrostatic interactions with counter ions. SHG measurements revealed the inverted correlation between the Q = I-2 omega/I-2 omega SiO2 values and the radii of counter ions. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.