A Tetravalent Cerium Complex Containing a Ce=O Bond

Whereas terminal oxo complexes of transition and actinide elements are well documented, analogous lanthanide complexes have not been reported to date. Herein, we report the synthesis and structure of a cerium(IV) oxo complex, [CeO(L-OEt)(2)(H2O)]MeC(O)NH2 (1; L-OEt(-)=[Co((5)-C5H5){P(O)(OEt)(2)}(3)](-)), featuring a short CeO bond (1.857(3)angstrom). DFT calculations indicate that the hydrogen bond to cocrystallized acetamide plays a key role in stabilizing the CeO moiety of 1 in the solid state. Complex 1 exhibits oxidizing and nucleophilic reactivity.