Dihydrogen 7-block metal complexes

Inhibition of a catalytic reaction by impurities present may take place and sometimes this may have a temporary character. If it is permanent one cannot be mistaken in the kinetic measurements. Impurities that are more reactive than the substrates to be studied may block the catalyst if they react according to a scheme like that of Figure 3.7. Only after all inhibitor has been converted the conversion of the desired substrate can start. Another type of deactivation that may occur is the formation of dormant states, which is very similar to inhibition. Either the regular substrate or an impurity may lead to the formation of a stable intermediate metal complex that does not react further. There are examples where such intermediates can be rescued from this dormant state for instance by the addition of another reagent such as dihydrogen (Chapter 10, dormant states in propene polymerisation). 

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