Complexes containing bonds between heteroatoms such as nitrogen and oxygen and "late" transition metals (i.e., those located on the right side of the transition series) have been implicated as reactive intermediates in numerous important catalytic systems. Despite this, our understanding of such M-X linkages still lags behind that of their M-H and M-C analogues. New synthetic strategies have now made possible the isolation and study of a variety of monomeric late-metal alkoxide, aryloxide, and amide complexes, including parent hydroxide and amide species. The heteroatoms in these materials form surprisingly strong bonds to their metal centers, and their bond energies do not necessarily correlate with the energies of the corresponding H-X bonds. The M-X complexes typically exhibit nucleophilic reactivity, in some cases form strong hydrogen bonds to proton donors, and even deprotonate relatively weak acids. These observations, as well as thermodynamic investigations, suggest that late metal-heteroatom bonds are strongly polarized and possess significant ionic character, properties that play an important role in their interactions with organic compounds.

The parent amido iron complex (dmpe)2Fe(H)(NH2) (dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane), the first such first-row transition metal complex, has been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically and crystallographically. This complex has been found to insert carbon monoxide into the amide N-H bond (rather than the M-N bond) to give trans-(dmpe)2Fe(H)(NHCHO). The mechanism of this transformation has been studied and is believed to occur through an unusual mechanism in which CO behaves as an apparent electrophile.

Iridium complexes containing the large bite angle bisphosphine ligand xantphos have been synthesized and their reactivity studied. Several of these complexes are the first reported Ir(xantphos) systems to be characterized by X-ray diffraction. Variable-temperature NMR spectroscopic studies of IrI(CO)2(xantphos) (1-I) and Ir(COEt)(CO)2(xantphos) (8) show two separate dynamic processes in which the phosphorus donors and the backbone methyl groups of the xantphos ligand are exchanged. The addition of parahydrogen (p-H2) to 1-I leads to the formation of two dihydride isomers including one in which both hydride ligands are trans to the phosphorus donors, suggestive of an Ir(I) xantphos intermediate with the ligand chelated in a trans-spanning fashion (2b). The bromide and chloride Ir(I) analogues (1-Br and 1-Cl) also form this isomer upon reaction with parahydrogen, with 1-Cl yielding only this dihydride species. The trihydride complex IrH3(CO)(xantphos) (7) has been prepared, and its exchange with free hydrogen at elevated temperature is confirmed by reaction with p-H2. The hydride complexes IrH(CO)2(xantphos) (6) and IrH3(CO)(xantphos) (7), as well as the propionyl complex 8, are modest catalysts for the hydroformylation of 1-hexene and styrene under mild conditions. The addition of p-H2 to 8 permits direct observation of the propionyl dihydride species IrH2(COEt)(CO)(xantphos) (9) under both thermal and photolytic conditions, as well as unusual but weak polarization of the aldehydic proton of the propanal product that forms upon reductive elimination from 9.

To better understand electronic effects on the diastereoselectivity of nucleophilic additions to the carbonyl group, a series of 2-X-4-tert-butylcyclohexanones (X = H, CH(3), OCH(3), F, Cl, Br) were reacted with LiAlH(4). Reduction of ketones with equatorial substituents yields increasing amounts of axial alcohol in the series for X [H < CH(3) < Br < Cl < F << OCH(3)]. These data cannot be explained by steric or chelation effects or by the theories of Felkin-Anh or Cieplak. Instead, an electrostatic argument is introduced: due to repulsion between the nucleophile and the X group, axial approach becomes energetically less favorable with an increase in the component of the dipole moment anti to the hydride approach trajectory. The ab initio calculated diastereoselectivities were close to the experimental values but did not reproduce the relative selectivity ordering among substituents. For reduction of ketones with axial substituents, increasing amounts of axial alcohol are seen in the series for X [Cl < Br < CH(3) < OCH(3) < H < F]. After some minor adjustments are made, this ordering is consistent with both the electrostatic model and Felkin-Anh theory. Cieplak theory cannot account for these data regardless of adjustments. Ab initio calculated diastereoselectivities were reasonably accurate for the nonpolar substituents but were poor for the polar substituents.