Lanthanide bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amides, synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity

The synthesis of lanthanum. neodymium and ytterbium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amides, named triflimidates, from acetates, carbonates and oxides is investigated. When the synthesis is performed in water, all the salts contain one molecule of water and the lanthanum and neodymium salts synthesized from the acetates also contain one molecule of acetic acid. After removal of the water and acetic acid in refluxing ethanol. the salts are obtained anhydrous but associated for lanthanum and neodymium, whereas the ytterbium salt is monomeric and volatile. When the synthesis is performed directly in ethanol, the neodymium salt contains two molecules of coordinated ethanol. In non-hazardous solvents. these triflimidates are better catalysts than the analogous triflates toward either Friedel-Crafts acylations, or Fries transpositions or Baeyer-Villiger oxidations. Unexpectedly, the cerium(IV) triflimidate catalyzes the oxidation of aromatic ketones to give the corresponding acids. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.