Organoscandium chemistry

[2][3] The interest in organoscandium compounds is mostly academic but motivated by potential practical applications in catalysis, especially in polymerization.

[4] As with the other elements in group 3 – e.g. yttrium, forming organoyttrium compounds – and the lanthanides, the dominant oxidation state for scandium in organometallic compounds is +3 (electron configuration [Ar] 3d14s2).

The members of this group also have large ionic radii with vacant s,p and d orbitals (88 pm for Sc3+ compared to 67 pm for Al3+) and as a result they behave as hard Lewis acids and tend to have high coordination numbers of 9 to 12.

The reaction of scandium trichloride with two equivalents of sodium cyclopentadienide (NaCp) produces the chloride-bridged dimer: Cp3Sc is a polymer wherein one third of the Cp ligands serving as bridging ligands.

[9] Organoscandium compounds in lower oxidation states have been prepared.