Metal-Carbene and -Carbyne Complexes and Multiple Bonds with Transition Metals

Abstract

The complexes containing a double carbon-element bond, i.e. metal-carbenes M=C, metal-oxo M=O and metal-imido M=NR are key species that are important from a theoretical point of view, in biochemistry, organic synthesis and catalysis of metathesis, dimerization, polymerization and oxidation of olefins. Analogously, the complexes with a triple metal-carbon bond MC, i.e. metal-carbynes, catalyze the metathesis and the polymerization of alkynes and are potentially, as metal-nitrides MN, the source of a very rich chemistry, although still less developed than that of metallocarbenes.