Treatment of OsHCl(PPh3)(3) with allenes CH2=C=CHR at room temperature in benzene produced the vinyl complexes OsCl(C(CH3)=CHR)(CH2=C=CHR)-(PPh3)(2), instead of eta(3)-allyl complexes as normally observed. DFT calculations show that the formation of the vinyl complex is favored kinetically.

Palladium-catalyzed terminal alkyne dimerization, through oxidative homocoupling, is a useful approach to the synthesis of symmetrical 1,4-diynes. Recent investigations have suggested that this reaction might be accomplished in the absence of intentionally added stoichiometric oxidants (to reoxidize Pd(0) to Pd(II)). In this paper, we have fully addressed the question of whether oxygen (or added oxidant) is required to facilitate this process. The presence of a stoichiometric quantity of air (or added oxidant such as I2) is essential for alkyne dimerization.

In this paper, the trans influence of boryl ligands, together with that of other ligands commonly believed to have a strong trans influence, has been investigated theoretically via density functional theory (DFT) calculations on a series of square-planar platinum(II) complexes of the form trans-[PtL(Cl) (PMe3)(2)].