Cp*Ir(iii) complexes have been shown to be effective for the halogenation of N,N-diisopropylbenzamides with N-halosuccinimide as a suitable halogen source.

A pathway for the catalytic hydrosilylation of carbonyl substrates with M(C6F5)3 (M = B, Al and Ga) was calculated by DFT (B3PW91-D3) and it was shown that in the case...

In this work we show that classic coordination of the oxo group in an oxorhenium hydride complex to M­(C6F5)3 (M = Al, B) leads to dramatic increases in the rate of migratory olefin insertion. Combined experimental and computational studies have been utilized to understand the reasons for the rate enhancement upon coordination of the oxo group to the Lewis acid. The mechanism for migratory insertion involves coordination of the olefin to rhenium in the equatorial plane. This induces mixing of the rhenium–hydride σ bond with a rhenium–oxygen π* orbital. This results in an accumulation of electron density on the oxo ligand. The Lewis acid lowers the barrier for migratory insertion by diminishing the electron density on the oxo ligand in the transition state.

Monophosphines prepared by iron catalysed hydrophosphination have been used as pro-ligands in iron catalysed Negishi cross-coupling of alkyl bromides and diphenyl zinc reagents. The cross-coupling has been investigated with monophosphines with varying electronic properties and we find the simplest, unsubstituted phosphine to offer the optimum reaction conditions (both in terms of yield of diarylmethane product and cost-effectiveness of the phosphine). In situ catalyst generation from monophosphine and FeCl2 was used in catalysis; however, preparation of a discrete homonuclear iron complex was also achieved and this four-coordinate iron-phosphine complex was isolated and used in catalysis.