Organolanthanide chemistry

Organolanthanide chemistry is the field of chemistry that studies organolanthanides, compounds with a lanthanide-to-carbon bond. Organolanthanide compounds are different from their organotransition metal analogues in the following ways:

  • They are far more air- and water-sensitive and are often pyrophoric.
  • Chemistry in the 0 oxidation state is far more limited. In fact, their electropositive nature makes their organometallic compounds more likely to be ionic.
  • They form no stable carbonyls at room temperature; organolanthanide carbonyl compounds have been observed only in argon matrices, and decompose when heated to 40 K.