An organouranium coordination polymer containing infinite metal oxide chains

The title compound, catena-poly[[[dioxouranium(VI)]-bis­(μ-2-hydroxy­benzohydroxamato)] dihydrate], {[U(C₇H₆NO₃)₂O₂]·2H₂O}_n, is a uranyl coordination polymer based on the salicylhydroxamate ligand. The ligand acts both as a chelate, forming five-membered rings, and as a bridge between two U atoms. The coordination around each U atom is a distorted hexa­gonal bipyramid. Infinite chains running along [001] are formed via bridging salicylhydroxamate O atoms. The chains have C₂ symmetry, with U atoms in special positions on twofold axes. The water mol­ecules are not coordinated to the metal but crosslink, through hydrogen bonding, adjacent coordination polymer chains in the [110] and [10] directions.