Divalent -Octaphenyllanthanocenes: Synthesis, Structures, and Eu Luminescence.

Reductive dimerization of fulvenes using low-valent metal precursors is a straightforward one-step approach to access ethylene-bridged metallocenes. This process has so far mainly been employed with fulvenes carrying one or two substituents in the exocyclic position. In this work, a new synthesis of the unsubstituted exocyclic 1,2,3,4-tetraphenylfulvene (), its full structural characterization by NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, as well as some photophysical properties and its first use in reductive dimerization are described.