Comparing Well-Defined Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, and Nickel Ketone Hydrosilylation Catalysts

A brief review of manganese-catalyzed hydrosilylation is presented along with a personal account of how the design for the highly active catalyst, ( Ph2PPr PDI)Mn, was conceived. The reductive transformations achieved using this catalyst are described and put into further context by comparing the observed activities with those attained for leading late first-row transition-metal catalysts.