title: Trans influence in a mer-octahedral triiodidolanthanide: triiodidotris(tetrahydrofuran-kappaO)ytterbium(III).
abstract: The structure of the six-coordinate title complex, [YbI(3)(C(4)H(8)O)(3)], is the first mer-octahedral form of an LnI(3)L(3) lanthanide (Ln) compound with neutral L ligands, and is closely related to that of several of the seven-coordinate LnX(3)L(4) series of compounds, where X = Cl, Br or I and L = tetrahydrofuran (THF), isopropanol, pyridine or water. A structural trans effect can be assigned to YbI(3)(THF)(3), in contrast to the LnX(3)L(4) compounds, where steric and crystal packing effects are significant. The Yb-I bond lengths are 2.9543 (4) and 2.9151 (6) A for I trans and cis to I, respectively, and the Yb-O bond lengths are 2.299 (5) and 2.251 (3) A for O trans and cis to I, respectively. The crystal packing allows for six contact distances as weak C-H...I interactions in the range 3.10-3.24 A. The title molecule has a crystallographic twofold axis passing through a THF O atom, the trans I atom and the Yb atom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8087, USA. emge@rutgers.edu
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Emge
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kornienko
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Brennan