This Tutorial Review presents an overview on the synthesis, characterization and applications of metal complexes containing curcumin (=1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) and its derivatives as ligands. Innovative synthetic strategies leading to soluble and crystallizable metal curcumin complexes are outlined in detail. Special emphasis is placed on the highly promising and exciting medicinal applications of metal curcumin complexes, with the three most important areas being anticancer activity and selective cytotoxicity, anti-Alzheimer's disease activity, and antioxidative/neuroprotective effects. Overall, this Tutorial Review provides the first general overview of this emerging and rapidly expanding field of interdisciplinary research.

No abstract

For decades, the organometallic chemistry of the rare earth elements was largely dominated by the cyclopentadienyl ligand and its ring-substituted derivatives. A hot topic in current organolanthanide chemistry is the search for alternative ligand sets which are able to satisfy the coordination requirements of the large lanthanide cations. Among the most successful approaches in this field is the use of amidinate ligands of the general type [RC(NR')(2)](-) (R = H, alkyl, aryl; R' = alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, SiMe(3)) which can be regarded as steric cyclopentadienyl equivalents. Closely related are the guanidinate anions of the general type [R(2)NC(NR')(2)](-) (R = alkyl, SiMe(3); R' = alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, SiMe(3)). Two amidinate or guanidinate ligands can coordinate to a lanthanide ion to form a metallocene-like coordination environment which allows the isolation and characterization of stable though very reactive amide, alkyl, and hydride species. Mono- and trisubstituted lanthanide amidinate and guanidinate complexes are also readily available. Various rare earth amidinates and guanidinates have turned out to be very efficient homogeneous catalysts e.g. for ring-opening polymerization reactions. Moreover, certain alkyl-substituted lanthanide tris(amidinates) and tris(guanidinates) were found to be highly volatile and could thus be promising precursors for ALD (= Atomic Layer Deposition) and MOCVD (= Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) processes in materials science and nanotechnology. This tutorial review covers the success story of lanthanide amidinates and guanidinates and their transition from mere laboratory curiosities to efficient homogeneous catalysts as well as ALD and MOCVD precursors.

Over the years one major challenge has remained in organolanthanide chemistry: the synthesis of homoleptic alkyl and aryl complexes. The simplest organometallic compounds of the rare earths are the species LnR 2 or LnR 3 with the rare earth metals in their common oxidation states Ln 2+ and Ln 3+ which imply the coordination of only two or three ligands to the metal center. This is usually insufficient to meet the lanthanides' demands of steric saturation through high coordination numbers.Hence for a long time, only indirect evidence could be found for the existence of simple homoleptic organolanthanide compounds; the isolation and characterization of compounds belonging to this class were first achieved recently using pentafluorophenyl for Ln 2+ derivatives 12 and very bulky alkyl ligands for Ln 3+ species. [13][14][15] Especially for alkyls, very little structural data are available for compounds without any trimethylsilyl-substituted ligands which generally ensure higher stability. But nevertheless, due to the difficulties of their synthesis and their high reactivity alkyls and aryls still represent an interesting class of compounds. 16 Homoleptic σ-Alkyl ComplexesShortly after the synthesis of the first divalent solvent-free Ln alkyl, [(Me 3 Si) 3 C] 2 Yb, 17 the Eu analogue was prepared similarly by the reaction of EuI 2 and KC(SiMe 3 ) 3 in benzene. 18 It also features the bent structure displayed by the Yb complex but with a slightly smaller C-Eu-C angle (C-Eu-C ) 136°, C-Yb-C ) 137°) and longer Eu-C bonds (Eu-C ) 261 pm, Yb-C ) 249/250 pm). Salt metathesis was then again applied successfully to synthesize the first divalent Sm alkyl, Sm[C(SiMe 3 ) 2 (SiMe 2 OMe)] 2 (THF) Frank T. Edelmann was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1954. He studied chemistry from 1974 to 1979 at the University of Hamburg, where he obtained his Diplom in 1979 and doctoral degree in 1983. His Ph.D. thesis entitled "The chemistry of the tricarbonyl(fulvene) chromium complexes" was carried out under the supervision of Prof. Ulrich Behrens. This was followed by two years (1983−1985) of postdoctoral research as a Feodor Lynen Fellow of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation in the groups of Professors Josef Takats (

No abstract

Today the rare-earth elements play a critical role in numerous high-tech applications. This is why various areas of rare-earth chemistry are currently thriving. In organolanthanide chemistry the search for new ligand sets which are able to satisfy the coordination requirements of the large lanthanide cations continues to be a hot topic. Among the most successful approaches in this field is the use of amidinate and guanidinate ligands of the general types [RC(NR')(2)](-) (R = H, alkyl, aryl; R' = alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, SiMe(3)) and [R(2)NC(NR')(2)](-) (R = alkyl, SiMe(3); R' = alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, SiMe(3)), which can both be regarded as steric cyclopentadienyl equivalents. Mono-, di- and trisubstituted lanthanide amidinate and guanidinate complexes are all readily available. Various rare earth amidinates and guanidinates have turned out to be very efficient homogeneous catalysts e.g. for the polymerization of olefins and dienes, the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters or the guanylation of amines. Moreover, certain alkyl-substituted lanthanide tris(amidinates) and tris(guanidinates) were found to be highly volatile and are thus promising precursors for ALD (= atomic layer deposition) and MOCVD (= metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) processes in materials science, e.g. for the production of lanthanide nitride thin layers. This tutorial review covers the continuing success story of lanthanide amidinates and guanidinates which have undergone an astonishing transition from mere laboratory curiosities to efficient homogeneous catalysts as well as ALD and MOCVD precursors within the past 10 years.

No abstract

During the past ten years the organometallic chemistry of the lanthanides has witnessed enormous growth. One of the main reasons for this development was the finding that lanthanide metallocenes can exhibit an unusually high catalytic activity. Considerable advances have also been achieved in the chemistry of organolanthanide complexes that are not stabilized by cyclopentadienyl ligands. For example, the successful synthesis of the first unsolvated homoleptic trialkyllanthanides, [Ln{CH(SiMe3)2}3], has recently been reported. Anionic allyl complexes of the lanthanides show promising catalytic properties and cyclooctatetraene complexes of these elements are also under active investigation. This review is intended to provide an overview of this rapidly developing area of research.