Since the publication of our earlier book on transition metal mediated organic synthesis, * there has been a widespread increase of interest in this topic, and transition metal based methodology has become firmly established in many areas of organic chemistry. The direct, catalytic formation of organic carbonyl compounds using carbon monoxide as the source of the carbonyl group has seen exceptional progress, and this carbonylation chemistry is being used increasingly in research and on a larger scale for fine chemicals production. In view of these developments, there is a need for a modem, practi cally oriented book dealing with transition metal based carbonylation chemistry. The present monograph should help fulfill this need, since it is intended specifically to foster the adoption of catalytic carbonylation as a general tool in synthetic organic chemistry. It deals exclusively with reactions involving the interconversion of carbon monoxide and organic carbonyl compounds, and although the majority of the reactions discussed involve catalytic formation of carbonyl compounds, potentially valuable syntheses requiring stoichiometric quantities of transition metal are also included. In addition, a chapter is devoted to the remarkably useful reverse transformation (decarbonylation), in which an organic carbonyl group is eliminated in the form of carbon monoxide."

Mechanisms of Inorganic and Organometallic Reactions provides an ongoing critical review of the primary literature concerned with mechanisms of inorganic and organometallic reactions. The main focus is on reactions in solution, although solid-state and gas-phase studies are included where they provide relevant mechanistic insight. Each volume covers an eighteen-month literature period, and this, the eighth volume in the series, includes papers published during January 1990 through June 1991. Where appropriate, references to earlier reports and to specific sections in previous volumes are given. Coverage spans the whole area as comprehensively as possible in each volume, and while it is impossible to be absolutely exhaustive, every effort is made to include all of the important published work that is relevant to the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. Numerical data are reported in the units used by the original authors, and they are converted to common units only when comparisons are being made. The successful format of earlier volumes is retained to facilitate tracing progress over several years in a particular topic, and the series now permits this to be done for a twelve-year period. The introduction three volumes ago of computerized techniques to improve cross-referencing in the Index brought positive reader comments, and their use is being continued.

The current volume covers electron transfer reactions, substitution and relation reactions, and reactions of organometallic compounds.

The current volume covers electron transfer reactions, substitution and relation reactions, and reactions of organometallic compounds.

This series, Mechanisms of Inorganic and Organometallic Reactions, provides an ongoing critical review of the published literature concerned with the mechanisms of reactions of inorganic and organometallic compounds. Emphasis is on reactions in solution, although solid state and gas phase studies are included where they provide mechanistic insight. The sixth volume deals with papers published during the period January 1987 through June 1988 inclusive, together with some earlier work where it is appropriate to make comparisons. Coverage spans the whole area as comprehensively as practically possible, and the cited references are chosen for their relevance to the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. The now familiar format of earlier volumes has been maintained to facilitate tracing progress in a particular topic over several volumes, but some small changes have been made. Reflecting the a'mount of mechanistic work associated with ligand reactivity, and the growing importance of this area, Chapter 12 has been renamed and enlarged to bring together informa tion on both coordination and organometallic systems involving ligand reactions. Numerical data are usually reported in the units used by the original authors, except when making comparisons and conversion to common units is necessary.

Since the publication of our earlier book on transition metal mediated organic synthesis, * there has been a widespread increase of interest in this topic, and transition metal based methodology has become firmly established in many areas of organic chemistry. The direct, catalytic formation of organic carbonyl compounds using carbon monoxide as the source of the carbonyl group has seen exceptional progress, and this carbonylation chemistry is being used increasingly in research and on a larger scale for fine chemicals production. In view of these developments, there is a need for a modem, practi cally oriented book dealing with transition metal based carbonylation chemistry. The present monograph should help fulfill this need, since it is intended specifically to foster the adoption of catalytic carbonylation as a general tool in synthetic organic chemistry. It deals exclusively with reactions involving the interconversion of carbon monoxide and organic carbonyl compounds, and although the majority of the reactions discussed involve catalytic formation of carbonyl compounds, potentially valuable syntheses requiring stoichiometric quantities of transition metal are also included. In addition, a chapter is devoted to the remarkably useful reverse transformation (decarbonylation), in which an organic carbonyl group is eliminated in the form of carbon monoxide."

Mechanisms of Inorganic and Organometallic Reactions provides an ongoing critical review of the primary literature concerned with mechanisms of inorganic and organometallic reactions. The main focus is on reactions in solution, although solid-state and gas-phase studies are included where they provide relevant mechanistic insight. Each volume covers an eighteen-month literature period, and this, the eighth volume in the series, includes papers published during January 1990 through June 1991. Where appropriate, references to earlier reports and to specific sections in previous volumes are given. Coverage spans the whole area as comprehensively as possible in each volume, and while it is impossible to be absolutely exhaustive, every effort is made to include all of the important published work that is relevant to the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. Numerical data are reported in the units used by the original authors, and they are converted to common units only when comparisons are being made. The successful format of earlier volumes is retained to facilitate tracing progress over several years in a particular topic, and the series now permits this to be done for a twelve-year period. The introduction three volumes ago of computerized techniques to improve cross-referencing in the Index brought positive reader comments, and their use is being continued.

The objective of Mechanisms of Inorganic and Organometallic Reactions is to provide an ongoing critical review of the literature concerned with the mechanisms of reactions of inorganic and organometallic compounds. The main focus is on reactions in solution, although solid state and gas phase studies are included where they provide relevant mechanistic insight. Each volume covers an eighteen month literature period, and this, the seventh volume in the series, deals with papers published during July 1988 through December 1989. Where appropriate, there are references to earlier work, and also to specific sections in previous volumes. Coverage continues to span the whole area as comprehensively as possible in each volume, and although it is impossible be absolutely complete, every effort is made to include all the important for it to published work that is relevant to the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. Numerical data are reported in the units used by the original authors, and they are only converted to common units when making comparisons. The basic format of earlier volumes is retained to facilitate tracing progress over several years in a particular topic; this can now be done for more than a decade worth of research. In the last volume, ligand reactivity of both coordination and organometallic compounds were brought together in Chapter 12, and, in response to numerous positive comments from readers, this arrangement has been maintained. There have been some similar suggestions about oscillating reactions, and this topic may have a separate section in the next volume.

The purpose of this series is to provide a continuing critical review of the literature concerned with mechanistic aspects of inorganic and organo metallic reactions in solution, with coverage being complete in each volume. The papers discussed are selected on the basis of relevance to the elucidation of reaction mechanisms and many include results of a nonkinetic nature when useful mechanistic information can be deduced. The period of literature covered by this volume is July 1982 through December 1983, and in some instances papers not available for inclusion in the previous volume are also included. Numerical results are usually reported in the units used by the original authors, except where data from different papers are com pared and conversion to common units is necessary. As in previous volumes material included covers the major areas of redox processes, reactions of the nonmetallic elements, reaction of inert and labile metal complexes and the reactions of organometallic compounds. While maintaining the space devoted to other areas, that given to the nonmetallic elements has been increased. In recognition of the increasing importance of the determination of volumes of activation in understanding the mechanisms of both inorganic and organometallic reactions a special reference section giving tabulated Ll V* values has been included and this extensive compilation will be updated in future volumes."

The continually growing contribution of transition metal chemistry to synthetic organic chemistry is, of course, widely recognized. Equally well known is the difficulty in keeping up-to-date with the multifarious reactions and procedures that seem to be spawned at an ever-increasing rate. These can certainly be summarized on the basis of reviews under the headings of the individual transition metals. More useful to the bench organic chemist, however, would be the opposite type of concordance based on the structural type of the desired synthetic product. This is the approach taken in the present monograph, which presents for each structural entity a conspectus of the transition metal-mediated processes that can be employed in its production. The resulting comparative survey should be a great help in devising the optimum synthetic approach for a particular goal. It is presented from an essentially practical viewpoint, with detailed direc tions interspersed in the Houben-Weyl style. The wide scope of the volume should certainly encourage synthetic organic chemists to utilize fully the range and versatility of these transition metal-mediated processes. This will certainly be a well-thumbed reference book R. A. RAPHAEL Cambridge University v Preface In recent years an enormous amount of work has been done on the catalysis of organic reactions by various transition metal species and on the organic reactivity of organo-transition-metal compounds."