Registry NO. tr~ns-[Ru(bpy)~(pyz)~](PF,),, 79733-75-8; trans-[ Ru( b p~) , ( p y )~] (ClO,),, 633 58-69-0; trans-[ Ru(bpy),-(CH3CN)(H2O)](Cl0,),, 79681-78-0; lrans-[Ru(bpy)*-(CH3CN)2](C104)2, 79732-91-5; trans-Ru(bpy),Cl,, 34795-02-3; trans-[ R~( M e~b p y ) , ( P P h , )~] (PF,),, 7968 1-80-4; trans-[ Ru-(Me2bpy)2(PPh2Me)2](PF6)2, 79681-82-6; trans-[Ru(Me,bpy),-(PPhMe,),] (PFs)2, 7968 1-84-8; tram-[Ru(bpy),(NO)(OH)] (PF6)2, 7968 1-86-0; ci~-[Ru(bpy)~(CH,CN),] (PF,),, 55 124-54-4; cis-[Ru-(Me2bpy),(PPh3)(C1)]PF6, 79681-88-2; trans-[Ru(bpy),(OH,),]-(ClO,),, 72203-26-0; Ru(bpy),CO,, 59460-48-9; cis-Ru(Me2bpy),C1,, The new methylarylmetal complexes cis-[AuMe2Ph(PPh3)], cis-[AuMe2(4-MeC6H4)(PPh,)], [PtMe(4-MeC6H,)(.CsH12)], cis-[PtMePh(PMePh,),], and ~is-[PtMe(4-Mec,H,)(PMe,Ph)~] have been prepared and characterized. In reactions with electrophilic reagents such as HC1, HgCl,, and [PtI,(PMe,Ph),], the complexes undergo selective cleavage of a methyl-metal bond (e.& cis-[PtMePh(PMePh,),]) or an aryl-metal bond (e&, cis-[AuMe,Ph(PPh,)], [PtMe(4-MeC6H4)(CEH,,)]).From the selectivity observed and from studies of relative rates of reaction, it is argued that the SE2 mechanism leads to selective aryl-metal bond cleavage and that a different mechanism, probably involving an oxidative-addition-reductiveelimination sequence, leads to selective methyl-metal bond cleavage.