Very High Oxidation States in Organometallic Chemistry

This review discusses different approaches for preparing organometallic compounds in very high oxidation states. Different alkyl or aryl ligands are compared in their ability to stabilize high oxidation states. A special focus is given on the reactivity of high valent metal complexes with transmetallating agents as well as on the oxidation of low-valent organometallic complexes. Furthermore, prominent examples including other σ- and π-donor ligands are highlighted (e.g. cyclopentadienyl Cp−, hydride H−, silyl R3Si−, halide X−, oxide O2−, imide NR2−, nitride N3−, carbene (R2CM) and carbyne (RCM) ligands. This review concludes with a brief discussion of strong one-electron oxidizers.