Tris(acrylato)uranylates as a scaffold for NLO materials

Novel uranyl acrylate complexes with general formula R[UO2(CH2CHCOO)3] (Rdouble bond; length as m-dashK+, 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 P213 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 = I2ω/I2ω SiO2 values and the radii of counter ions.