BUILDING OF LANTHANIDE OXOALKOXIDES - SYNTHESIS AND MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE OF )-OR)(4)(MU,ETA(2)-OR)(6)(MU,ETA(1)-OR)(2)(OR)(4)] (R=C(2)H(4)OME)

The gadolinium oxoalkoxide [Gd-6(mu(4)-O)(OC(2)H(4)OMe)(16)] was obtai ned by reaction between gadolinium chips and 2-methoxyethanol or by al cohol interchange reaction from [Gd-5(mu(5)-O)(OPri)(13)]. Its structu re results from the self-assembly of two trinuclear units via a mu(4)- oxo ligand having tetrahedral stereochemistry. The gadolinium atoms ar e seven- and eight-coordinate. Four different coordination modes of th e 2-methoxyethoxide ligands are observed, with Gd-O bond lengths rangi ng from 2.152(9) to 2.674(8) Angstrom, the order of variation being Gd -OR < Gd-mu(4)-O < Gd-mu-OR < Gd-mu(3)-OR < Gd-O(ether).