Divergent Synthesis of Functionalized 1,2,4-Triazoles and 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles via a Microwave-Assisted [3 + 2] Annulation of Heteroaryl Carbonitriles with Arylhydrazides: A Synthetic and Density Functional Theory Study

-symmetric, tridentate, soft-N-donor complexants with potential utility in the selective separation of minor actinides from lanthanides in spent nuclear fuel toward potential closure of the nuclear fuel cycle. Synthetic method development, complexant and heteroaryl substrate scope, competition, application, and scale-up experiments as well as DFT calculations are reported herein.