(NH)[UOCl]·2HO, a new uranyl tetra-chloride with ammonium charge-balancing cations.

A new uranyl tetra-chloride salt with chemical formula, (NH)[UOCl]·2HO, namely, di-ammonium uranyl tetra-chloride dihydrate, , was prepared and crystallized slow evaporation from a solution of 2 hydro-chloric acid. As confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction, the title compound crystallizes with an ammonium chloride impurity that formed as a result of the breakdown of a triazine precursor. The (UOCl) dianion is charge balanced by ammonium cations, while an extensive hydrogen-bond network donated from structural water mol-ecules stabilize the overall assembly. Compound adds to the extensive collection of actinyl tetra-chloride salts, but it represents the first without an alkali cation for purely inorganic compounds. Diffuse reflectance and luminescence spectra show typical absorption and emission behavior, respectively, of uranyl materials.