The complex displays a particular affinity for "hard" Lewis bases, such as the oxygen atom in ethers and the nitrogen of amines.

It chelates with lanthanides to form Ln(fod)3 for La = Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, and Lu.

[1] In its original application, Eu(fod)3 was used in NMR spectroscopy to gain additional chemical shift dispersion.

[4] Eu(fod)3 serves as a Lewis acid catalyst in organic synthesis including stereoselective Diels-Alder and aldol addition reactions.

For example, Eu(fod)3 catalyzes the cyclocondensations of substituted dienes with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to yield dihydropyrans, with high selectivity for the endo product.