It is shown that the deprotonation of bulky amides such as HN (SiMe2Ph) 2 may be accelerated by the use of catalytic quantities of an alkali metal tert-butoxide salt, affording, for example, overnight syntheses of NaN (SiMe2Ph) 2. The new uranium (IV) and uranium (III) complexes [U {N (SiMe2H) 2} 4] and [U {N (SiMe2Ph) 2} 3] are both accessible from the Group 1 salts of the amides and UI3 (thf) 4 in thf. The choice of sodium or potassium salt ...