Inclusion complexes lanthanide-coordination chemistry

The large number of lanthanide alkoxide complexes featuring the inclusion of oxo or hydroxo groups unmistakably suggests that the coordination chemistry of lanthanide hydroxide is intimately associated with that of the alkoxides. Arguably the simplest and most ubiquitous O-containing ligand, the water molecule, occupies a special position in the development of lanthanide coordination chemistry. Upon coordination to the Lewis acidic lanthanide ion, an... 

Lanthanide elements (referred to as Ln) have atomic numbers that range from 57 to 71. They are lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu). With the inclusion of scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y), which are in the same subgroup, this total of 17 elements are referred to as the rare earth elements (RE). They are similar in some aspects but very different in many others. Based on the electronic configuration of the rare earth elements, in this chapter we will discuss the lanthanide contraction phenomenon and the consequential effects on the chemical and physical properties of these elements. The coordination chemistry of lanthanide complexes containing small inorganic ligands is also briefly introduced here [1-5]. 

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