Nickel Hydride Complexes

Nickel hydride complexes, defined herein as any molecules bearing a nickel hydrogen bond, are crucial intermediates in numerous nickel-catalyzed reactions. Some of them are also synthetic models of nickel-containing enzymes such as [NiFe]-hydrogenase. The overall objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of this specific type of hydride complexes, which has been studied extensively in recent years. This review begins with the significance and a very brief history of nickel hydride complexes, followed by various methods and spectroscopic or crystallographic tools used to synthesize and characterize these complexes. Also discussed are stoichiometric reactions involving nickel hydride complexes and how some of these reactions are developed into catalytic processes.