Cerium(III) and cerium(IV) both form formate complexes. However, the species in aqueous solution and the solid-state structures are surprisingly different. Ce(III) shows only mononuclear complexes in aqueous solution, whereas Ce(IV) forms a stable hexanuclear complex. The structural differences reflect the different influence of hydrolysis, which is weak for Ce(III) and strong for Ce(IV).
Kurt Schenk, Farzaneh Fadaei Tirani
Wendy Lee Queen, Olga Trukhina, Dragos-Constantin Stoian, Vikram Vinayak Karve