Ytterbium complexes reaction with metal carbonyls

Diorganomercurials, upon reaction with ytterbium metal, form L2Yb complexes that convert carbonyl compounds to alcohols via reductive coupling (Deacon and Tuong, 1981). 

The utility of Sm in deoxygenative coupling of carbonyl compounds has already been discussed [38]. One study has been published on the reaction of acylphos-phonates with another lanthanide metal, Yb [46]. Ytterbium converted a substituted acylphosphonate under mild conditions (THF, HMPA, rt) to 1,2-diphenyl-2-oxoethyl phosphate and l-(phosphoryloxy)-l-phenylmethylphosphonate. The reactivity of Yb was explained in terms of its oxophilicity, leading initially to an acylytterbium complex. 

An interesting reaction was observed when Yb(C5Me5)2(OEt2) was opposed to various carbonyl complexes (Tilley et al., 1982). Mixed complexes were obtained with bridged carbon monoxide, the oxygen and carbon being bound to ytterbium and to the transition metal, respectively. The following reactions were studied ... 

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