The structure determination of uranocene and the first COT lanthanide complexes

This paper results from my introductory talk at the symposium 'Frontiers of Organo-f-Element Chemistry'. Although my active research in organo-actinide and -lanthanide chemistry ended early in my career, it led to an interest in actinide coordination chemistry that continues to this day; I am a member of the actinide research group of the Chemical Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. My remarks will be somewhat personal and are intended to provide a perspective on the history of this field, but I hope to connect it to what has become a new and very active area of research; this class of compounds is now associated with what are essentially quantum confined multiconfigurational molecules. (authors)