Hexafluoro-2-butyne, transition metal complexes

In addition to complex-formation, the interaction of transition-metal atoms with organic substrates at low temperatures can result in rearrangement of the organic moiety without complexation. Two such reactions have already been briefly mentioned, namely, the polymerization of hexafluoro-2-butyne by Ge and Sn atoms (72) and the polymerization of styrene by Cr atoms (i 1). In this section we shall briefly summarize some of these transition-metal-atom-promoted, organic rearrangements. 

Hexafluoro-2-butyne shows unique complexing abilities with the later transition-metal atoms, Co, Ni, Pd and Pt. Each metal-CFaC CCFj pair yields an organometallic that is stable but tends toward decomposition to butyne trimer and metal particles. With Ni and Pd, 1 1 metalibutyne complexes are isolated as solvent adducts. The structures are unknown, but with Pd, a dimer is formed . 

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