Chapter 18: Uranyl Phosphonates: A Structural Survey Check Access

Presented in this Chapter is a survey of the structural features and trends within UO₂²⁺ phosphonate materials. Uranium (VI) solid-state structures assembled from mono- and polyphosphonates are examined. These compounds adopt chain, layered, tubular and 3-dimensional architectures. Uranyl carboxyphosphonates are also reviewed. The affinity of the UO₂²⁺ cation for phosphonate and carboxylate functionalities is considered and discussed in the context of preparing heterometallic materials. Structural features such as metal-ligand coordination modes, charge balancing counter cations, template inclusion, incorporation of transition metal cations and hydrogen bonding networks are explored. The influence of synthetic variables such as in situ ligand formation and temperature on the resulting topologies is also discussed.