Some General Comments on Transition Metal Catalysts

Abstract

The making and breaking of metal—carbon bonds has become an important and versatile tool in synthetic organic chemistry [see, for example 50, 179, 339, 402, 766, 981, 1134, 1236, 1251, 1367]. Transition metal assisted reactions used for the manufacture of organic compounds on an industrial scale include the oxidation, hydrogenation, hydroformylation, isomerization and polymerization of alkenes, diene cyclooligomerization and alcohol carbonylation. Other reactions, such as the asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral alkenes, the activation of C—H bonds for H/D exchange, the reduction of ketones by hydrosilation and the decarbonylation of aldehydes are also catalysed by complexes of transition metals. These reactions have wide application in laboratory-scale preparations, and some are also used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.