Introduction to the "Recent Advances in f-Element Organometallic Chemistry" Special Issue of Organometallics

The March 2013 Special Issue of Organometallics presents some papers on the recent advancements made in the field of f-element organometallic chemistry. The f elements, meaning the lanthanides and actinides, are the elements in the periodic table in which the 4f and 5f shells, respectively, are filled. The discovery of the sandwich compound uranocene ((C8H8)2U) by Streitwieser in 1968 created excitement in this field and illustrated the unusual organometallic chemistry and bonding possibilities of these elements. Beyond simple f-element cyclopentadienyl complexes, the next major advance came with the implementation in both lanthanide and actinide organometallic chemistry of the Me5C5 (Cp*) ligand. This new ancillary ligand provides highly reactive organometallic complexes having good hydrocarbon solubility, which eliminates the need to use more coordinating/deactivating solvents, while opening the metal coordination spheres for greater diversity in reactivity.