Isolation and structure of a europium(III) chloride complex of 2,6-bis[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]pyridine N,P,P '-trioxide

The combination of EuCl3. 6H(2)O with the trifunctional ligand 2,6-[(C6H5)( 2)P(O)CH2](2)C5H3NO. in a 1:2 ratio, produces the coordination complex [Eu{ [(C6H5)(2)P(O)CH2](2)C5H3NO} (2)(H2O)(2)]Cl-3. 9H(2)O. The molecular struct ure of the complex has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The. N,P,P'-trioxide ligands each bind to the central Eu(III) ion in a tridentate fashion along with two water molecules. The eight inner sph ere oxygen atoms surrounding the Eu(III) ion form a square antiprism. These results are discussed in the context of the structures formed by lanthanid e nitrates. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.