Ytterbium Lanthanides

Using the bulker 2,6-dimethylphenyl ligand results in [Li(THF)4] + [Ln(2,6-Me2C6H3)4] for the two smallest lanthanides, ytterbium (lemon) and lutetium (colourless). 

Although rare-earth ions are mosdy trivalent, lanthanides can exist in the divalent or tetravalent state when the electronic configuration is close to the stable empty, half-fUed, or completely fiUed sheUs. Thus samarium, europium, thuUum, and ytterbium can exist as divalent cations in certain environments. On the other hand, tetravalent cerium, praseodymium, and terbium are found, even as oxides where trivalent and tetravalent states often coexist. The stabili2ation of the different valence states for particular rare earths is sometimes used for separation from the other trivalent lanthanides. The chemicals properties of the di- and tetravalent ions are significantly different. 

CH2CN)4Yb[( J.-H)2BH]2, and (CgH N)4Yb[( J.-H)2BH4]2 have been stmcturally characterized by x-ray crystallography and shown to contain ytterbium to boron hydride Yb—H—B linkages. Thermal decomposition of lanthanaboranes can be used to generate lanthanide metal borides. 

Kobayashi et al. have reported the use of a chiral lanthanide(III) catalyst for the Diels-Alder reaction [51] (Scheme 1.63, Table 1.26). Catalyst 33 was prepared from bi-naphthol, lanthanide triflate, and ds-l,2,6-trimethylpiperidine (Scheme 1.62). When the chiral catalyst prepared from ytterbium triflate (Yb(OTf)3) and the lithium or sodium salt of binaphthol was used, less than 10% ee was obtained, so the amine exerts a great effect on the enantioselectivity. After extensive screening of amines, ds-1,2,6-... 

The 2-pyrones can behave as dienes or dienophiles depending on the nature of their reaction partners. 3-Carbomethoxy-2-pyrone (84) underwent inverse Diels-Alder reaction with several vinylethers under lanthanide shift reagent-catalysis [84] (Equation 3.28). The use of strong traditional Lewis acids was precluded because of the sensitivity of the cycloadducts toward decarboxylation. It is noteworthy that whereas Yb(OTf)j does not catalyze the cycloaddition of 84 with enolethers, the addition of (R)-BINOL generates a new active ytterbium catalyst which promotes the reactions with a moderate to good level of enantio selection [85]. 

The last of the lanthanides, this metal is also the hardest and the densest of them. It is a component of cerium mischmetal. Lutetium has some applications in optoelectronics. Shows great similarities to ytterbium. Its discoverer, Georges Urbain, carried out 15 000 fractional crystallizations to isolate pure lutetium (record ). The element has special catalytic properties (oil industry). 176Lu is generated artificially and is a good beta emitter (research purposes). 177Lu has a half-life of six days and is used in nuclear medicine. 

To avoid excessive acid waste, lanthanide(III) triflates are used as recyclable catalysts for economic aromatic nitration. Among a range of lanthanide(III) triflates examined, the ytterbium salt is the most effective. A catalytic quantity (1-10 mol%) of ytterbium(III) triflate catalyzes the nitration of simple aromatics with excellent conversions using an equivalent of 69% nitric acid in refluxing 1,2-dichloromethane for 12 h. The only by-product of the reaction is water, and the catalyst can be recovered by simple evaporation of the separated aqueous phase and reused repeatedly for further nitration.12... 

Organoytterbium chemistry has been developed in the last 20 years, although the development rate is much slower than the other lanthanides like samarium or cerium. Dianionic complexes that are produced from the reaction of ytterbium with diaryl ketones react with various kinds of electrophiles including carbon-heteroatom unsaturated bonds.35 Phenylytterbium iodide, a Grignard-type reagent, is known to have reactivity toward carbon dioxide,36 aldehydes, ketones,37,37 and carboxylic acid derivatives38,3811 to form the corresponding adducts respectively. 

Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley-Oppenauer catalysts typically are aluminum alkox-ides or lanthanide alkoxides (see above). The application of catalysts based on metals such as ytterbium (see Table 20.7, entries 6 and 20) and zirconium [85, 86] has been reported. 

In the presence of a catalytic amount of chiral lanthanide triflate 63, the reaction of 3-acyl-l,3-oxazolidin-2-ones with cyclopentadiene produces Diels-Alder adducts in high yields and high ee. The chiral lanthanide triflate 63 can be prepared from ytterbium triflate, (R)-( I )-binaphthol, and a tertiary amine. Both enantiomers of the cycloaddition product can be prepared via this chiral lanthanide (III) complex-catalyzed reaction using the same chiral source [(R)-(+)-binaphthol] and an appropriately selected achiral ligand. This achiral ligand serves as an additive to stabilize the catalyst in the sense of preventing the catalyst from aging. Asymmetric catalytic aza Diels-Alder reactions can also be carried out successfully under these conditions (Scheme 5-21).19... 

Figure 4.17. The binary phase diagrams of the magnesium alloy systems with the divalent metals ytterbium and calcium (Ca is a typical alkaline earth metal and Yb one of the divalent lanthanides). Notice, for this pair of metals, the close similarity of their alloy systems with Mg. The compounds YbMg2 and CaMg2 are isostructural, hexagonal hP12-MgZn2 type.

Within the lanthanides the first ones from La to Eu are the so-called light lanthanides, the other are the heavy ones. Together with the heavy lanthanides it may be useful to consider also yttrium the atomic dimensions of this element and some general characteristics of its alloying behaviour are indeed very similar to those of typical heavy lanthanides, such as Dy or Ho. An important subdivision within the lanthanides, or more generally within the rare earth metals, is that between the divalent ones (europium and ytterbium which have been described together with other divalent metals in 5.4) and the trivalent ones (all the others, scandium and yttrium included). 

Europium and ytterbium di-valence. The oxidation state II for Eu and Yb has already been considered when discussing the properties of a number of divalent metals (Ca, Sr, Ba in 5.4). This topic was put forward again here in order to give a more complete presentation of the lanthanide properties. The sum of the first three ionization enthalpies is relatively small the lanthanide metals are highly electropositive elements. They generally and easily form in solid oxides, complexes, etc., Ln+3 ions. Different ions may be formed by a few lanthanides such as Ce+4, Sm+2, Eu+2, Yb+2. According to Cotton and Wilkinson (1988) the existence of different oxidation states should be interpreted by considering the ionization... 

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