WHAT ARE THOSE FACTORS WHICH GOVERN THE REACTIVITY OF ACTINIDE-TO-CARBON SIGMA BONDS?

The explosive growth of organometallic chemistry over the past two decades, has, until very recently, largely bypassed the actinide elements. The reason for this partly stems from early unsuccessful attempts to synthesize uranium tetraalkyls. However, the actinide metal ions offer unique electronic (5f valence orbitals) and stereochemical (high coordination numbers, unusual coordination geometries) features which suggest intriguing prospects as organometallic reagents and catalysts. This paper summarizes recent developments in the important field of sigma-bonded organoactinides. It concludes that metal ion coordination geometry plays a central role in directing the path of various chemical transformations.