TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL COMPLEXES OF THE EARLY LANTHANIDE(III) CHLORIDES

The complexation of triethylene glycol (EO3) with the earlier lanthanide(III) chlorides has been investigated in 1/1 and 10/1 stoichiometries and with the addition of LiCl. Two well resolved crystalline forms of La3+ and Ce3+ have been isolated and structurally characterized: [MCl(OH2)(EO3)2]Cl2 and [MCl2(OH2)2(EO3)]2Cl2 (M = La, Ce). The former are ten-coordinate bicapped square antiprismatic while the latter are dimers of nine-coordinate tricapped trigonal prisms. A third disordered crystalline form has been isolated containing the same dimeric cation above and a disordered aquo/chloro metal anion. To round out our structural characterization of the series of lanthanide(III) chloride EO3 complexes, the crystal structures of [M(OH2)5(EO3)]Cl3 (M = Sm, Tb), [DyCl3(EO3)].CH3CN, and [TmCl3(EO3)].CH3OH are also presented.