Extended lanthanide-transition metal arrays with cyanide bridges: syntheses, structures, and catalytic applications

Systematic synthetic procedures produced several different structural types of extended lanthanide-transition metal (group 10) complexes with cyanide bridges. Of these, one-dimensional ladder arrays containing a Yb-Pd combination have been converted to bimetallic heterogeneous catalysts on an oxide (SiO2) surface that is more effective than supported Pd alone. Two lanthanide-Cu(I) complexes have been prepared. One type, an inclusion complex consists of lanthanide(III) cations encapsulated in the pockets of a three-dimensional anionic array that contains Cu(I)-CN-Cu(I) bridges. The second type, an extended layer complex, consists of joined five-membered rings in a “tile-like” pattern with Ln-CN-Cu and Cu-CN-Cu bridges.