This critical review deals with the chemistry and applications of metal alkanoates with medium size (C5 to C12) carbon chain length. A particular emphasis is given to metal 2-ethylhexanoates, which find wide applications as metal-organic precursors in materials science, as catalysts for ring opening polymerizations and also in painting industries for their properties as driers. After a brief introduction and an overview of synthesis, structural and physico-chemical properties, this article discuses extensively the applications of these compounds in materials science. Finally, it identifies and signifies the areas for future research in the looking ahead section. The aim of this review is to bridge the areas of precursor's chemistry and materials science by providing a reference text for researchers working either in or at the interface of these two areas (125 references).

中文翻译：

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2-乙基己酸金属盐和相关化合物在材料科学中是有用的前体。

这项重要的评论涉及具有中等大小（C5至C12）碳链长度的金属链烷酸酯的化学和应用。特别强调了2-乙基己酸金属盐，它们在材料科学中作为金属有机前体，作为开环聚合反应的催化剂以及由于其作为干燥剂的性质而在涂漆行业中得到广泛应用。在简要介绍并概述了合成，结构和物理化学性质后，本文广泛讨论了这些化合物在材料科学中的应用。最后，它在“前瞻性”部分中标识并表示未来的研究领域。这次审查的目的是弥合前体领域