Size‐Controlled Hapticity Switching in [Ln(C(9)H(9))(C(8)H(8))] Sandwiches

Sandwich complexes of lanthanides have recently attracted a considerable amount of interest due to their applications as Single Molecule Magnet (SMM). Herein, a comprehensive series of heteroleptic lanthanide sandwich complexes ligated by the cyclononatetraenyl (Cnt) and the cyclooctatetraenyl (Cot) ligand [Ln(Cot)(Cnt)] (Ln=Tb, Dy, Er, Ho, Yb, and Lu) is reported. The coordination behavior of the Cnt ligand has been investigated along the series and shows different coordination patterns in the solid‐state depending on the size of the corresponding lanthanide ion without altering its overall anisotropy. Besides the characterization in the solid state by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and in solution by (1)H NMR, static magnetic studies and ab initio computational studies were performed.