Carbenes, carbides, and carbon. Ten years of transition metal—acetylene chemistry

Abstract

The lecture describes some of our studies into the reactivity of several transition metal complexes towards a wide variety of alkynes and related compounds. The results include (I) reactions of metal acetylides with electrophiles to give vinylidenes or cycloadducts; (ii) oligomerisation of alkynes at mononuclear ruthenium centres to give novel tri- and tetra-mers; (iii) oxidative tetra- and penta-merisation of phenylacetylide to unusual metalla-polycyclic systems; (iv) transformations of cluster-bound acetylides to alkynes and vinylidenes; (v) reactivity of a phosphino-acetylide on an open Ru5 cluster. © 1990 IUPAC