Electron transfer from transition metal carbonyl complexes

It is clear from the examples reported that carbon monoxide, when coordinated to a metal in a neutral complex, is not sufficiently activated to react with organic nitro compounds under mild conditions. More precisely, the first act of this reaction is the electron transfer from the metal to the nitro group to give a radical couple and this requires a very basic metal. This explains why basic ligands usually activate transition metal carbonyls in these catalytic reactions. Moreover, basic ligands such as Bipy favor the in-situ formation of the [Rh(CO)4] species from rhodium clusters. The effect of co-catalysts such as halide anions is more subtle, but even the action of these might, at least in part, be directed toward an increase of the electron density of the metal. 

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