Anti -reactivity - selectivity principle

In an effort to apply the cooperative principles of metalloenzyme reactivity, involving a combination of metal-ligand and hydrogen bonding, we have reported a ruthenium catalyst incorporating imidazolyl phosphine ligands that efficiently and selectively hydrates terminal alkynes (5). We subsequently found that application of pyridyl phosphines to the reaction resulted in a >10-fold rate enhancement and complete anti-Markovnikov selectivity, even in the... 

---