Transition metal-carbon single bonds

Photochemical cleavage of metal-carbon bonds constitutes a brief part of a recent review on the photochemistry of metal carbonyls. Reviews of metal-alkyl and -aryl complexes have also appeared, one of which is concerned solely with metals in Groups IV— VII. The other deals with the formation, stability, and decomposition pathways of transition metal-carbon a-bonds, subjects of much interest in recent years. Consequently the recent isolation of the first stable methylene complex [Ta(Me)(CHa)(jj-C6H6)2] and its unequivocal characterization by a single-crystal JlT-ray diffraction study is of great interest in view of the probability that related derivatives are involved in the recently reported (see Vol, 4, p. 293) examples of a-hydride elimination in metal alkyls. 

The metal-carbon single bond occurs widely throughout the Periodic Table. It is not restricted to main group elements, being common among d -block transition elements as well, although in the latter case the com-poimds are usually subject to rather special rules if thermal stability is to be achieved (see pp 7-12,150-157). 

Murakami M, Ito Y (1999) Cleavage of Carbon-Carbon Single Bonds by Transition Metals. 3 97-130... 

Murakami, M., Ito, Y. Cleavage of carbon-carbon single bonds by transition metals. Top. Organomet. Chem. 1999, 3, 97-129. 

Cleavage of Carbon-Carbon Single Bonds by Transition Metals... 

A wide variety of organic functionalities can be activated by transition metal complexes. However, carbon-carbon single bonds are arguably one of the least reactive functional groups. The robust nature of carbon-carbon single bonds... 

This review will focus upon the subset of interesting reactions involving the apparent cleavage of carbon-carbon single bonds promoted by transition metals under homogeneous conditions. An excellent previous review should also be referred to [ 1 ]. Reactions in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts or in the vapor phase with naked metal ions [2] are outside the scope of this review. Reactions breaking carbon-carbon double bonds, such as olefin metathesis, are not included herein. 

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