Room-temperature single-crystal X-ray structure determinations carried out on ‘maximally’ hydrated rare earth(III) trifluoroacetates, Ln(tfa)3.x H2O, crystallized at room temperature, show the Ln = La, Ce adducts to be isomorphous and monoclinic, P 21/c, a ≈ 11·9, b ≈ 12·8, c ≈ 9·8 8 Å, β ≈ 103·7°, Z = 4; they are trihydrates. The Ln = Pr, Lu (and, implicitly, intermediate Ln) adducts are also monoclinic, P 21/c, Z = 4, and trihydrates, but of a different polymorph, with a ≈ 9·2, b 18·8, c ≈ 9·8 Å, β ≈ 114°. For the four determinations, conventional R values on |F| were 0·038, 0·032, 0·036, and 0·034 for No 2952, 4821, 4544, and 4092 independent ‘observed’ (I > 3σ(I)) diffractometer reflections respectively. The Ln = La, Ce adducts are two-dimensional polymers, the sheets parallel to the bc plane; the other systems are binuclear, the two metal atoms being linked by four bridging carboxylate O-tfa-O′ ligands. In both structural types, the metal atoms are eight-coordinate, but differ in the number of water molecules (2 cf. 3) in the O8 array. Extension of previous studies by single-crystal X-ray methods on the structural characterization of trivalent rare earth trichloroacetates, ‘maximally’ hydrated at local ambience, Ln(tca)3.x H2O, suggests the following arrays to be prevalent. The Ln = La adduct is a pentahydrate, monoclinic, P21/c, a 5·636(7), b 22·454(4), c 16·58(1) Å, β 90·52(8)°, Z = 4 f.u., R 0·035 for No 4154. The compound is a linear polymer along a, successive nine-coordinate La (separated by a) being linked by three O-tca-O′ bridging ligands at the opposite faces of a tricapped trigonal prismatic array, the equatorial sites being filled by water molecules. The Ln = Ce adduct is a trihydrate, monoclinic, P 21/c, a 10·071(2), b 22·973(2), c 20·222(5) Å, b 119·48(2)°, Z= 8 f.u., R 0·050 for No 5019. The array is also linear polymeric, but with successive Ce being linked alternately now by sets of two and then four O-tca-O′ bridging carboxylates along b, the Ln = Ce coordination number being diminished (relative to La) to eight with the coordination of two water molecules to each metal. Ln = Pr, Lu (and, presumptively, intermediate Ln) are dihydrates, triclinic, P 1, a ≈ 11·70, b ≈ 12·8, c ≈ 15·3 Å, α ≈ 71, β ≈ 77·85, γ ≈ 65·5°, Z = 4 f.u., R 0·056, 0·059 for No 5650, 5398. The array is a linear polymer, similar to that of the Ln = Ce adduct but alongside the bridging acetate pair one of the water molecules now bridges, resulting in a stepped Ln 1 array (along c) rather than a quasi-straight one as is found for the Ln = Ce (and La) adduct. Structure determinations are also recorded for rare earth(III) trichloroacetate ethanol trisolvates, Ln(tca)3.3EtOH. Adducts of Ln = La, Yb (and, implicitly, intermediate Ln) are isomorphous, triclinic, P 1, a ≈ 12, b ≈ 11·8, c ≈ 11·4 Å, α ≈ 114, β ≈ 100, γ ≈ 104°, Z = 2 f.u., R 0·056, 0·050 for No 3843, 4171. The complexes are centrosymmetric dimers [(EtOH)3(tca-O)Ln(O-tca-O′)4Ln(O-tca)(HOEt)3], the two metal atoms being linked by four O-tca-O′ bridging carboxylate groups; the metal atoms are eight-coordinate, the other four sites being occupied by four oxygen atoms from unidentate ethanol and carboxylate moieties. Bis(bis(2-pyridyl)aminium) bis(diaquatetrakis(trichloroacetato)lanthanate(III)), 2(dpaH+) [(H2O)2-(tca-O)(tca-O,O′)2La(O-tca-O′)2La(O,O′-tca)2(O-tca)(OH2)2]2-, is triclinic, P 1, a, 13·901(2), b 13·764(3), c 10·073(2) Å, α 104·04(2), β 108·93(2), γ 101·50(2)°, Z = 1 binuclear f.u., R 0·045 for No 4999. The anion is binuclear, the two nine-coordinate lanthanum atoms being linked by a pair of bridging O-carboxylate-O′ groups. The other seven sites of the LaO9 array are occupied by a pair of O,O′ -chelating and one O-unidentate carboxylate groups and a pair of water molecules.
