Mechanistic aspects of the reactions of nitric oxide with transition-metal complexes

A review is made of the mechanistic studies of the reactions of NO with transition-metal complexes. Such studies provide a quantitative understanding of pathways in which NO may participate and allow one to evaluate those which may be the most significant among the multitude of chemical trajectories that must be considered in interpreting biological systems. Given the high potential for artifacts resulting from the use of NO containing the highly reactive impurities NO2 and N2O3 methods of purifying NO in the laboratory are also addressed.