Non-metallocene hydride complexes of the rare-earth metals

The chemistry of the hydride complexes of the rare-earth metals has been dominated by complexes with metallocene and half-sandwich ligand frameworks. In contrast to hydride complexes supported by cyclopentadienyl ligands, only relatively few examples of non-metallocene hydride complexes have been reported in the literature. Such complexes are potentially of some interest in view of their chemical reactivity and catalytic applications. This review surveys the chemistry of non-metallocene hydride complexes up to mid-2007, some spectroscopic and structural aspects as well as their reactivity.