Structures and Reactions of Organic ate‐Complexes

Some years ago, Wittig G. Wittig, Angew. Chem. 70 , 65 (1958). pointed out that ate‐complexes are characterized by anionic activation of the substituents attached to the central atom. The behavior of these compounds thus contrasts with that of the onium‐complexes Cf. E. Müller : Neuere Anschauungen der organischen Chemie. Springer, Berlin 1957, p. 132–142 studied by Meerwein, which are characterized by cationic activation of the ligands. These two types of complexes form together two complementary aspects of organic coordination chemistry Metal‐carbon π‐complexes are excluded from the following discussion. .