Covalency in f-Element Organometallic Complexes: Theory and Experiment

Abstract
The bonding of organo-f-element complexes is examined both by review of theoretical considerations and by examination of experimental methods to determine the extent of covalency. While ligand—metal orbital overlap is important in rigorous descriptions of electronic structure (and therefore in many spectroscopic studies), only in a few cases do covalent contributions significantly perturb the chemical behavior of the compounds.