New ligands and materials are required that can coordinate, sense, and purify actinides for selective extraction and reduction of toxic, radioactive wastes from the mining and purification of actinides. The similarities in the chemical, biological transport, and distribution properties of Fe(III) and Pu(IV) inspired a biomimetic approach to the development of sequestering agents for actinides. A detailed evaluation of the structure and bonding of actinide coordinating ligands like these is important for the design of new selective ligand systems. Knowing the difficulty with working with the crystals resulting from these ligand systems and safe handling considerations for working with Pu, procedures were developed that utilize the Advanced Light Source of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to determine the solid-state structures of Pu complexes by X-ray diffraction.