Contents 1. Introduction 2. Complexes [CpM(CO)2(η 3 -allyl)] and related compounds 2.1. Synthetic strategies 2.2. Exo ⇌ endo isomerism 2.3. 95 Mo and 183 W NMR spectroscopy 2.4. Oxidized cationic complexes -reactivity, fluxionality, structural features 2.5. Mixed nitrosyl carbonyl complexes [CpM(CO)(NO)(η 3 -allyl)] + (M = Mo, W) 3. Complexes [M(CO)2(η 3 -allyl)(α-diimine)X] (X = anionic monodentate ligand) and related compounds 3.1. Synthetic strategies 3.2. Mechanistic features, structural aspects, and dynamic behaviour 3.3. Monodentate ligands bound to M(CO)2(η 3 -allyl)(L⏜L): reactivity and intermediacy in allylic alkylations 3.4. Redox Properties and Electrocatalysis 4. Amidinato and pyrazolato complexes related to [M(CO)2(η 3 -allyl)(α-diimine)X] 4.1. Synthesis and dynamic behaviour 4.2. Coordinatively unsaturated species and their reactivity 5. Summary and outlook Acknowledgement References 2
ABSTRACTTransition metal complexes with π-allylic ligands remain an attractive topic in organometallic chemistry, given the numerous reports of a wide variety of synthetic routes, dynamic behaviour and reactivity, structural (including isomerism), spectroscopic and redox properties, and applications in organic synthesis and catalysis. Surprisingly, despite the considerable interest in the rich and varied chemistry of this family of organometallic compounds, there is no recent review. This review is focused on π-allylic representatives of low-cost Group-6 metals bearing one or more carbonyl ligand, the coordination sphere being complemented with η 5cyclopentadienyl (Section 2), chelating ligands, including redox active α-diimines and various complementary diphosphine (Section 3) and novel anionic amidinate or pyrazolate (Section 4) ligands. In Section 1 particular attention is paid to rearrangements of the π-allylic ligand, namely exo and endo isomerism, interconversion mechanisms, fluxionality, and agostic interactions. In addition, the application of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy to the elucidation of such isomerism, and the effect of the metal centre oxidation state on the bonding, dynamic behaviour and reactivity of the π-allylic ligand are described. The detailed mechanistic description of the synthetic routes and dynamic behaviour of selected representatives of αdiimine complexes in Section 2 is followed by a description of the [M(CO)2(η 3 -allyl-H,R)(αdiimine)] 0/+ fragment as a convenient scaffold for diverse monodentate ligands participating in a range of substitution, insertion, intramolecular migration and C-C coupling reactionsfrequently involving also the π-allylic ligand, such as allylic alkylation. Special attention is devoted to selected examples of redox and acid-base reactivity of the α-diimine complexes with emphasis on prospects in electrocatalysis. The amidinate (and related pyrazolate) ligands treated in Section 4 may directly replace the π-allylic ligand in some cyclopentadienyl complexes (Section 2) or the α-diimine ligand in some dicarbonyl π-allylic complexes (Section 3). The brief description...