Structure of the Immediate Environment of Lanthanide(III) Ions in Oxygen-Containing Solvents

Abstract

Structural characteristics of immediate environments of lanthanide ions in various oxygen-containing solvents are summarized and analyzed based on our XRD studies and on the studies performed earlier by other authors by various methods. Coordination numbers of cations, interparticle distances, and types of ion associations are discussed. The structures of immediate cation environments in water and some non-aqueous media are compared. It is shown that coordination numbers of lanthanide ions in non-aqueous solvents do not decrease in the series from light to heavy ions, in contrast to the case of aqueous solutions. Coordination numbers of lanthanide ions and distances between the ions and oxygen atoms of the coordinated solvent molecules in non-aqueous media are smaller than in water.