We present a set
of donor radii for the rare-earth cations obtained
from the analysis of structural data available in the Cambridge Structural
Database (CSD). Theoretical calculations using density functional
theory (DFT) and wave function approaches (NEVPT2) demonstrate that
the Ln-donor distances can be broken down into contributions of the
cation and the donor atom, with the minimum in electron density (ρ)
that defines the position of (3,–1) critical points corresponding
well with Shannon’s crystal radii (CR). Subsequent linear fits
of the experimental bond distances for all rare earth cations (except Pm
3+) afforded donor radii (r
D) that allow for the prediction of Ln-donor distances
regardless of the nature of the rare-earth cation and its oxidation
state. This set of donor radii can be used to rationalize structural
data and identify particularly weak or strong interactions, which
has important implications in the understanding of the stability and
reactivity of complexes of these metal ions. A few cases of incorrect
atom assignments in X-ray structures were also identified using the
derived r
D values.