RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF OLEFIN COMPLEXES OF PALLADIUM AND PLATINUM - SOME NOVEL FINDINGS AS WELL AS ELABORATE EXTENSIONS

Recent developments in the chemistry of olefin complexes of palladium and platinum are described. Emphasis is placed on the molecular basis on which unique, hitherto unknown stability trends and C = C bond coordination geometry in certain complexes can be understood. Examples of these complexes include olefin complexes of Pd(II) and Pt(II), having the 18-electron configuration or the eta-3-allyl group as an ancillary ligand, which show stability trends not so strongly affected by the electronic factor of the olefinic substituents. Moreover, the C=C axis of the olefin ligand coordinated to the eta-3-allylmetal moiety tends to lie within the coordination plane. A brief survey on some basic reactivity patterns exhibited by the olefin complexes of palladium and platinum is also given.