Water-free rare earth-Prussian blue type analogues: synthesis, structure, computational analysis, and magnetic data of {Ln(III)(DMF)(6)Fe(III)(CN)(6)}(infinity) (Ln = rare earths excluding Pm).

Water-free rare earth(III) hexacyanoferrate(III) complexes, {Ln(DMF)(6)(mu-CN)(2)Fe(CN)(4)}(infinity) (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide; Ln = Sm, 1; Eu, 2; Gd, 3; Tb, 4; Dy, 5; Ho, 6; Er, 7; Tm, 8; Yb, 9; Lu, 10; Y, 11; La, 12; Ce, 13; Pr, 14; Nd, 15), were synthesized in dry DMF through the metathesis reactions of [(18-crown-6)K](3)Fe(CN)(6) with LnX(3)(DMF)(n) (X = Cl or NO(3)). Anhydrous DMF solutions of LnX(3)(DMF)(n) were prepared at room temperature from LnCl(3) or LnX(3).nH(2)O under a dynamic vacuum.