Homogeneous Catalysis of Hydrosilation by Transition Metals

J. L. Speier, Homogenous Catalysis of Hydrosilation by Transition Metals", Adv. Organomet Chem. 1979,17, 407. 

Ammonia N-donor Ligands Asymmetric Synthesis by Homogeneous Catalysis Decarbonylation Catalysis Hydride Complexes of the Transition Metals Hydroboration Catalysis Hydrogenation Isomerization of Alkenes Hydrosilation Catalysis P-donor Ligands Rhodium Organometallic Chemistry. 

This fundamentally sound model of the catalytic cycle continues to be widely accepted, but its simplistic picture cannot explain some common observations and the formation of certain products in hydrosilations catalyzed by several transition metals other than platinum. The most difficult to explain and accommodate via the Chalk-Harrod mechanism are formation of vinylsilanes, highly-colored solutions often associated with gray-black metal precipitation, and frequently an induction period before the catalytic cycle kicks off in earnest. The deeper question of whether the catalysis occurs homogeneously or on the surface of colloidal metal has been an additional mystery that has shrouded the catalysis, especially in light of the fact that... 

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