Experimental access to the molecular and electronic structures of organo-f-element complexes by NMR spectroscopy

The main objective of this survey is to demonstrate that by extensive assessment of variable temperature ¹H NMR data obtained on paramagnetic f-element complexes in solution, not only valuable information on details of the molecular structure, but also on the electronic structure may be deduced. One of the most informative quantities to arrive at is the paramagnetic anisotropy term, χ∥ - χ⊥, of axially symmetric molecules from which, if the bulk susceptibility $\text{χ}$ is also known, the crystal-field sensitive parameters χ∥ and χ⊥ can be derived.The majority of the examples considered belong to the widely studied type [Cp₃^fML_n]^q (Cp = η⁵C₅H₄R); ^fM = Pr(III), Nd(III), Yb(III) and U(IV); n = 0, 1 and 2; q = 0 or ?1) and to the uranocene family. The survey also includes the two sub-classes of novel anionic complexes [Cp₃LnL]^? and [(Cp₃Ln)₂(μ-L)]^?, respectively, and different isomers of the general composition [Cp₃UXY]^q (L = lanthanoid).