Multimetallic Lanthanide Complexes: Using Kinetic Control To Define Complex Multimetallic Arrays

ConspectusKinetically inert lanthanide complexes are proving to be highly effective building blocks for the preparation of complex heterometallic architectures, allowing complete control of metal ion domains, which cannot be achieved under thermodynamic control. Kinetic stability may render perceivable labile coordination bonds more durable than several types of covalent interactions. For complexes in clinical use, the significance of kinetic stability cannot be overstated, and this Account treats the topic accordingly.Kinetically inert complexes can be used as building blocks for elaborate synthesis. For instance, it is now possible to prepare heterometallic lanthanide complexes containing two or more different lanthanide ions by linking kinetically robust complexes together. This approach can yield bimetallic (f–f′ or d–f) and trimetallic (f–f′–f″) lanthanide complexes.In this Account, we describe our studies exploiting the slow dissociation of lanthanide complexes derived from 1,4,7,10-tetraazadodecane...