The diiminepyridine ligand, made famous by Brookhart and Gibson a decade ago through its use in the first iron-containing olefin polymerization catalyst, also displays an amazing variety of ligand-centred reactions, including electron transfer, alkylation, dimerization and deprotonation. The present Perspective summarizes these reactions and also speculates on the links between ligand- and metal-centred reactivity.

DFT calculations show that square‐planar LCoIR complexes of a diiminopyridine ligand are best regarded as containing low‐spin CoII antiferromagnetically coupled to a ligand radical anion. The lowest triplet state, corresponding to a 3d italicz 2⇄π* excitation, is calculated to be only a few kcal/mol above the ground state, and is thermally accessible. The anomalous 1H NMR chemical shifts of the LCoR complexes are suggested to be due to thermal population of the triplet state at room temperature. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004)

The reaction of the {2,6-[2,6-(iPr)2PhN=C(CH3)]2(C5H3N)}FeCl2 catalyst precursor with R3Al [R = Me, Et] afforded {2,6-[2,6-(iPr)2PhN=C(CH3)]2(C5H3N)}AlMe2 (1) and [eta4-LAl2Et3(mu-Cl)]Fe-(eta6-C7H8) (2), respectively. These paramagnetic species arises from both transmetalation, during which the strong terdentate ligand loses the Fe center, and reduction. The extent of reduction depends on the nature of the Al alkylating agent. The electrons necessary for the reduction are likely to be provided by cleavage of Fe-C bond of transient low-valent organo-Fe species.