Halide divalent lanthanides

This work was undertaken as a part of a study of divalent lanthanide halides in an effort to obtain more accurate thermal data on EuC12 and to determine if the close similarity of the high-temperature thermodynamic properties of divalent europium and alkaline earth compounds emphasized earlier (13-16) could be extended. 

Divalent lanthanide chemistry has been dominated by the most readily accessible divalent lanthanide metals samarium(II), europium(II), and ytterbium(II) (classical ) for decades, and a large number of divalent lanthanide compounds have been prepared [92], There are three routes to generate divalent organolanthanide complexes oxidative reaction of lanthanide metal, metathesis reaction of a divalent lanthanide halide, and reductive reaction of a trivalent lanthanide complex. 

Homogeneous Catalysis Lanthanide Halides Organometallic Chemistry Fundamental Properties Tetravalent Chemisiry Inoiganic Tetravalent Chemistry Organometallic The Divalent State in Solid Rare Earth Metal Halides The Electronic Structure of the Lanthanides. 

Divalent lanthanide halide complexes studied by absorption spectroscopy involve the Sm(II)-Al-Cl and Eu(II)-Al-Cl vapor complexes. The data are interpreted by the presence of EuAljCln and EuAUCIh vapor molecules (Sorlie and 0ye 1978) while the stoichiometries of the SmCla-AlC vapor complexes are not known (Papatheodorou and Kucera 1979). Spectra of divalent lanthanides are expected to exhibit weak Laporte-forbidden 4f <— 4f transitions and relatively strong bands arising from 5d 4f, 6s <— 4f,. .. transitions. Such transitions are observed in the near-UV region in spectra of both Sm(II)-Al-Cl and Eu(II)-Al-Cl vapor complexes (figs. 12 and 13). 

The study of coordination compounds of the lanthanides dates in any practical sense from around 1950, the period when ion-exchange methods were successfully applied to the problem of the separation of the individual lanthanides,131-133 a problem which had existed since 1794 when J. Gadolin prepared mixed rare earths from gadolinite, a lanthanide iron beryllium silicate. Until 1950, separation of the pure lanthanides had depended on tedious and inefficient multiple crystallizations or precipitations, which effectively prevented research on the chemical properties of the individual elements through lack of availability. However, well before 1950, many principal features of lanthanide chemistry were clearly recognized, such as the predominant trivalent state with some examples of divalency and tetravalency, ready formation of hydrated ions and their oxy salts, formation of complex halides,134 and the line-like nature of lanthanide spectra.135... 

Tn reviewing the chemistry of the actinides as a group, the simplest approach is to consider each valence state separately. In the tervalent state, and such examples of the divalent state as are known, the actinides show similar chemical behavior to the lanthanides. Experimental diflB-culties with the terpositive actinides up to plutonium are considerable because of the ready oxidation of this state. Some correlation exists with the actinides in studies of the lanthanide tetrafluorides and fluoro complexes. For other compounds of the 4-valent actinides, protactinium shows almost as many similarities as dijSerences between thorium and the uranium-americium set thus investigating the complex forming properties of their halides has attracted attention. In the 5- and 6-valent states, the elements from uranium to americium show a considerable degree of chemical similarity. Protactinium (V) behaves in much the same way as these elements in the 5-valent state except for water, where its hydrolytic behavior is more reminiscent of niobium and tantalum. 

Compounds of divalent samarium, europium, and ytterbium are well-known. In recent years, lower halides of other lanthanides, such as neodymium 48), praseodymium 45, 49, 90), and thulium 4) have been obtained by reducing the trihalide with the metal. The corresponding reaction of thorium tetraiodide with thorium metal has led to the identification of two crystalline forms of Thl2 41, 91) it is unlikely that the Th ", or even Th ", ion is present in Thl2, but like Prl2, which is formulated as Pr " (r)2( ) (2), the compound is probably of the type Th " (r)2(2 ) 41). Certainly one crystal form is diamagnetic 41), suggesting the latter formulation. 

Preparation and Identification of Divalent Lanthanide Ions as Dilute Solutes in Alkaline Earth Halide Solid Solutions... 

In the fused state, the straightforward method is to allow either the lanthanide metal or the alkaline earth metal to react with a melt of the alkaline earth halide and the lanthanide trihalide. This approach yields the desired divalent ions if inert containers are used. Satisfactory reduction has been obtained in molybdenum, tungsten, and tantalum. The... 

Kagan, H. B., Namy, J. L., Girard, P. Divalent lanthanide derivatives in organic synthesis. II. Mechanism of Sml2 reactions in presence of ketones and organic halides. Tetrahedron, Supplement, 175-180. 

Several routes are currently applied to synthesize cationic organolanthanide species, including the halide abstraction from heteroleptic Ln(III) compounds [Eq. (25)] [152], the oxidation of divalent metallocenes [Eqs. (26) and (27)] [153], the protolysis of lanthanide alkyl and amide moieties [Eqs. (28) and (29)] [154,155], and anion exchange [Eqs. (30) and (31)] [84,156]. In the absence of a coordinating solvent such extremely electrophilic species attain stabilization via arene interactions with the BPh4 anion (Sect.5.1) [153b]. Cationic rare earth species have been considered as promising candidates for Lewis acid catalysis [157]. 

---