Dicyclopentadienyl complexes samarium

Dicyclopentadienyl rare earth chlorides react with a variety of compounds containing other anions than Cl. Maginn et al. (1963) prepared some methoxides and one phenoxide, Schumann et al. (1982) isolated the dicyclopentadienyl samarium tert-butoxide, and Watson (1982) found bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) lutetium ethoxide as one of the reaction products of the ethanolysis of bis(pentamethylcyclo-pentadienyl) methyl lutetium. These compounds are much more stable against oxidation. No X-ray structural determination of these complexes has been done. 

The tetrahydrofuran complex of dicyclopentadienyl samarium is made by reduction of tricyclopentadienyl samarium with KCjgHg in naphthalene in the presence of tetrahydrofuran and was isolated as a purple pyrophoric product (Watt and Gillow, 1969). Ytterbium also reacts with thallous cyclopentadienide in dimethoxyethane in the presence of a little metallic mercury with formation of Cp2Yb DME (Deacon et al., 1982a). 

A metal vapor technique provides a very interesting route to the preparation of Sm(II) or Yb(II) organometallic species. Thus W.J. Evans et al. (1980, 1981a, 1982) were able to prepare several substituted dicyclopentadienyl samarium and ytterbium complexes. Sm(C5Mes)2 was the first known soluble divalent organosamarium complex. 

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