Group 3- and 4f-element organometallic chemistry and reactivity are decisively driven by the rare-earth-metal/lanthanide (Ln) ion size and associated electronegativity/ionicity/Lewis acidity criteria. For these reasons, the synthesis of terminal “unsupported” imides [Ln═NR] of the smaller, closed-shell Sc(III), Lu(III), Y(III), and increasingly covalent Ce(IV) has involved distinct reaction protocols while derivatives of the “early” large Ln(III) have remained elusive.
