Chemistry of electrophilic metal centres coordinated by silox ( Bu3SiO), tritox ( Bu3CO) and related binfunctional ligands

Bulky siloxide and alkoxide ligands, notably silox (tBu3SiO), and tritox (tBu3CO), have been employed as ancillary ligands in the chemistry of low-coordinate early transition metal complexes. Related sterically hindered difunctional ligands (e.g., alkoxyalkylphosphines) are utilized to link disparate early and late transition metal centres together in a quest for cooperative reactivity. This review focuses on our group's efforts in this area over the past 14 years. Emphasis is placed on the rationale for using bulky, hard, anionic donor ligands, and the synthesis and reactivity studies of this class of compounds.