This LO focuses on creating complexes with multiple bonds between late transition metals and nitrogen. The questions will guide students through Mindiola and Hillhouse's communication that details the synthesis and investigation of three-coordinate terminal amido and imido complexes of nickel. This communication is significant because it describes the synthesis and structural characterization of what became known as his "double nickel" complex, which contains a Ni-N double bond.  

This literature discussion focuses on a J. Am. Chem. Soc. communication that describes a series of Pt complexes that exhibit competitive reductive elimination reactions to form either an sp²-sp³ bond or an sp³-sp³ bond. One of the complexes also contains a C-C agostic interaction with the metal. The questions are written to be addressed by students in a foundation-level inorganic course.

This Guided Literature Discussion was assigned as a course project and is the result of work originated by students Elina Andreassen and Abigail Palmer.

This literature discussion will guide students through an article that applies spectroscopic, structural, and computational analyses to a family of compounds of the type [Re(CO)₃(dippM)Br]ⁿ⁺  (dippM = 1,1’-bis(diisopropyl)phosphino metallocene, M = Fe, n= 0 or 1; M = Co, n = 1).

The literature discussion is based on a manuscript by Gunnoe and coworkers (ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 5688-5702. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c01203). The paper presents mechanistic studies of catalytic oxidative conversion of arenes and olefins to alkenyl arenes with a focus on styrene production.