Selective insertions of unsaturated organic molecules into the Ln–N or N–H bonds of biscyclopentadienyl lanthanide complexes

In this Perspective, selective N-H bond transformations of lanthanocene complexes are discussed. Recent efforts in this area from our laboratory have been devoted to development of new insertions and cyclizations of the anionic and neutral NH moieties of lanthanocene complexes into unsaturated substrates beyond the realm of the Ln-N bond, wherein various reactivity patterns of the N-H bond and the functional substituent effects are observed. The results demonstrate that the N-H moiety of organolanthanide complexes is an excellent platform for the in situ construction of new organic N-containing ligands in organolanthanide chemistry.