Synthesis, characterization and theoretical investigations of new uranium (VI) and thorium (IV) complexes with 1-furfurylaldehyde-derived Schiff bases as ligands

Abstract The present work describes the synthesis and characterization of thorium (IV) and dioxouranium (VI) coordination compounds with three Schiff bases derived from 1-furfurylaldehyde. All coordination compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The structural pattern, the geometry of the complexes and the coordination number of the metal ions were assigned on the basis of physico-chemical parameters, such as FTIR and UV-Vis spectra. The elemental analyses show a 1:1 stoichiometry for thorium coordinative compounds and 1:2 stoichiometry for uranyl ion, respectively. The obtained coordination compounds are stable in air, soluble in some organic solvents (DMF, acetonitrile, DMSO) and show fluorescent properties. The coordination compounds have high molar conductance that indicates their electrolytes nature. On the basis of the obtained experimental results, combined with theoretical studies, the structures of the compounds under study were proposed.