What was the result of identifying more and more chemically similar lanthanide elements ?
Lanthanide triflates are normally nonahydrates , mostly commonly depicted as Ln ( OTf ) 3· ( H2O ) 9 ; however , in the solid state and in aqueous solution , the waters are bound to the lanthanide and the triflates are counteranions , so more accurately lanthanide triflate nonahydrate is written as [ Ln ( H2O ) 9 ] ( OTf ) 3.