Ytterbium( II ) Benzamidinates, a New Class of Highly Reactive Lanthanoid( II ) Complexes

Good solubility and high reactivity characterize the readily accessible ytterbium benzamidinates 1 (R = H, OMe). Their strong reducing action can be exploited for the synthesis of novel lanthanoid(III) complexes with “soft” chalcogenolato ligands.