Abstract
Byline: Thomas J. Emge, A. Kornienko, John G. Brennan The structure of the six-coordinate title complex, [YbI.sub.3([C.sub.[4]H.sub.8]O).sub.3], is the first mer-octahedral form of an Ln[I.sub.3]L.sub.3 lanthanide (Ln) compound with neutral L ligands, and is closely related to that of several of the seven-coordinate Ln[X.sub.3]L.sub.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.sub.3(THF).sub.3, in contrast to the Ln[X.sub.3]L.sub.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. Author Affiliation: (a)Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8087, USA Article History: Received 10 September 2009, accepted 21 September 2009 Article note: Thomas J. Emge, e-mail: emge@rutgers.edu