ion. The oxidative addition mechanism was originally proposed22i because of the lack of a strong rate dependence on polar factors and on the acidity of the medium. Later, however, the electrophilic substitution mechanism also was proposed. Recently, the oxidative addition mechanism was confirmed by investigations into the decomposition and protonolysis of alkylplatinum complexes, which are the reverse of alkane activation. There are two routes which operate in the decomposition of the dimethylplatinum(IV) complex Cs2Pt(CH3)2Cl4. The first route leads to chloride-induced reductive elimination and produces methyl chloride and methane. The second route leads to the formation of ethane. There is strong kinetic evidence that the ethane is produced by the decomposition of an ethylhydridoplatinum(IV) complex formed from the initial dimethylplatinum(IV) complex. In D2O-DCl, the ethane which is formed contains several D atoms and has practically the same multiple exchange parameter and distribution as does an ethane which has undergone platinum(II)-catalyzed H-D exchange with D2O. Moreover, ethyl chloride is formed competitively with H-D exchange in the presence of platinum(IV). From the principle of microscopic reversibility it follows that the same ethylhydridoplatinum(IV) complex is the intermediate in the reaction of ethane with platinum(II). Important results were obtained by Labinger and Bercaw62c in the investigation of the protonolysis mechanism of several alkylplatinum(II) complexes at low temperatures. These reactions are important because they could model the microscopic reverse of C-H activation by platinum(II) complexes. Alkylhydridoplatinum(IV) complexes were observed as intermediates in certain cases, such as when the complex (tmeda)Pt(CH2Ph)Cl or (tmeda)PtMe2 (tmeda ) N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylenediamine) was treated with HCl in CD2Cl2 or CD3OD, respectively. In some cases H-D exchange took place between the methyl groups on platinum and the, CD3OD prior to methane loss. On the basis of the kinetic results, a common mechanism was proposed to operate in all the reactions: (1) protonation of Pt(II) to generate an alkylhydridoplatinum(IV) intermediate, (2) dissociation of solvent or chloride to generate a cationic, fivecoordinate platinum(IV) species, (3) reductive C-H bond formation, producing a platinum(II) alkane σ-complex, and (4) loss of the alkane either through an associative or dissociative substitution pathway. These results implicate the presence of both alkane σ-complexes and alkylhydridoplatinum(IV) complexes as intermediates in the Pt(II)-induced C-H activation reactions. Thus, the first step in the alkane activation reaction is formation of a σ-complex with the alkane, which then undergoes oxidative addition to produce an alkylhydrido complex. Reversible interconversion of these intermediates, together with reversible deprotonation of the alkylhydridoplatinum(IV) complexes, leads to multiple H-D exchange

Activation of c-h bonds by metal complexes

Fascination with supramolecular chemistry over the last few decades has led to the synthesis of an ever-increasing number of elegant and intricate functional structures with sizes that approach nanoscopic dimensions Today, it has grown into a mature field of modern science whose interfaces with many disciplines have provided invaluable opportunities for crossing boundaries both inside and between the fields of chemistry, physics, and biology This chemistry is of continuing interest for synthetic chemists; partly because of the fascinating physical and chemical properties and the complex and varied aesthetically pleasing structures that supramolecules possess For scientists seeking to design novel molecular materials exhibiting unusual sensing, magnetic, optical, and catalytic properties, and for researchers investigating the structure and function of biomolecules, supramolecular chemistry provides limitless possibilities Thus, it transcends the traditional divisional boundaries of science and represents a highly interdisciplinary field

In the early 1960s, the discovery of ‘crown ethers’, ‘cryptands’ and ‘spherands’ by Pedersen,1 Lehn,2 and Cram3 respectively, led to the realization that small, complementary molecules can be made to recognize each other through non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen-bonding, charge-charge, donor-acceptor, π-π, van der Waals, etc Such ‘programmed’ molecules can thus be self-assembled by utilizing these interactions in a definite algorithm to form large supramolecules that have different physicochemical properties than those of the precursor building blocks Typical systems are designed such that the self-assembly process is kinetically reversible; the individual building blocks gradually funnel towards an ensemble that represents the thermodynamic minimum of the system via numerous association and dissociation steps By tuning various reaction parameters, the reaction equilibrium can be shifted towards the desired product As such, self-assembly has a distinct advantage over traditional, stepwise synthetic approaches when accessing large molecules

It is well known that nature has the ability to assemble relatively simple molecular precursors into extremely complex biomolecules, which are vital for life processes Nature’s building blocks possess specific functionalities in configurations that allow them to interact with one another in a deliberate manner Protein folding, nucleic acid assembly and tertiary structure, phospholipid membranes, ribosomes, microtubules, etc are but a selective, representative example of self-assembly in nature that is of critical importance for living organisms Nature makes use of a variety of weak, non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen–bonding, charge–charge, donor–acceptor, π-π, van der Waals, hydrophilic and hydrophobic, etc interactions to achieve these highly complex and often symmetrical architectures In fact, the existence of life is heavily dependent on these phenomena The aforementioned structures provide inspiration for chemists seeking to exploit the ‘weak interactions’ described above to make scaffolds rivaling the complexity of natural systems

The breadth of supramolecular chemistry has progressively increased with the synthesis of numerous unique supramolecules each year Based on the interactions used in the assembly process, supramolecular chemistry can be broadly classified in to three main branches: i) those that utilize H-bonding motifs in the supramolecular architectures, ii) processes that primarily use other non-covalent interactions such as ion-ion, ion-dipole, π–π stacking, cation-π, van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions, and iii) those that employ strong and directional metal-ligand bonds for the assembly process However, as the scale and degree of complexity of desired molecules increases, the assembly of small molecular units into large, discrete supramolecules becomes an increasingly daunting task This has been due in large part to the inability to completely control the directionality of the weak forces employed in the first two classifications above Coordination-driven self-assembly, which defines the third approach, affords a greater control over the rational design of 2D and 3D architectures by capitalizing on the predictable nature of the metal-ligand coordination sphere and ligand lability to encode directionality Thus, this third strategy represents an alternative route to better execute the “bottom-up” synthetic strategy for designing molecules of desired dimensions, ranging from a few cubic angstroms to over a cubic nanometer For instance, a wide array of 2D systems: rhomboids, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc, and 3D systems: trigonal pyramids, trigonal prisms, cubes, cuboctahedra, double squares, adamantanoids, dodecahedra and a variety of other cages have been reported As in nature, inherent preferences for particular geometries and binding motifs are ‘encoded’ in certain molecules depending on the metals and functional groups present; these moieties help to control the way in which the building blocks assemble into well-defined, discrete supramolecules4

Since the early pioneering work by Lehn5 and Sauvage6 on the feasibility and usefulness of coordination-driven self-assembly in the formation of infinite helicates, grids, ladders, racks, knots, rings, catenanes, rotaxanes and related species,7 several groups - Stang,8 Raymond,9 Fujita,10 Mirkin,11 Cotton12 and others13,14 have independently developed and exploited novel coordination-based paradigms for the self-assembly of discrete metallacycles and metallacages with well-defined shapes and sizes In the last decade, the concepts and perspectives of coordination-driven self-assembly have been delineated and summarized in several insightful reviews covering various aspects of coordinationdriven self-assembly15 In the last decade, the use of this synthetic strategy has led to metallacages dubbed as “molecular flasks” by Fujita,16 and Raymond and Bergman,17 which due to their ability to encapsulate guest molecules, allowed for the observation of unique chemical phenomena and unusual reactions which cannot be achieved in the conventional gas, liquid or solid phases Furthermore, these assemblies found applications in supramolecular catalysis18,19 and as nanomaterials as developed by Hupp20 and others21,22

This review focuses on the journey of early coordination-driven self-assembly paradigms to more complex and discrete 2D and 3D supramolecular ensembles over the last decade We begin with a discussion of various approaches that have been developed by different groups to assemble finite supramolecular architectures The subsequent sections contain detailed discussions on the synthesis of discrete 2D and 3D systems, their functionalizations and applications

Supramolecular coordination: self-assembly of finite two- and three-dimensional ensembles.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C−S, C−Se, and C−Te Bond Formation via Cross-Coupling and Atom-Economic Addition Reactions

The potential of palladacycles: more than just precatalysts

There is now compelling experimental evidence for the existence of specific intra- and intermolecular bonding between seemingly closed-shell gold(I) centers (5d10) which manifests itself in all areas of gold chemistry. This “aurophilic interaction”, which had not been predicted by conventional valence theory, was found to be associated with binding energies in some cases exceeding even those of strong hydrogen bonds and therefore to be highly significant in co-determining molecular structure and dynamics. In high-level theoretical treatments the attraction is rationalized as a “super van der Waals bonding” based on particularly strong relativistic, dispersion and correlation effects (critical review, 265 references).

A briefing on aurophilicity.

Insertion of CO into 2-aminophenylpalladium complexes leads to 2-aminobenzoylpalladium derivatives. When these compounds are forced to coordinate a carbon donor and a phosphane ligand in the trans position, a C−P coupling process or an insertion of oxygen occurs (see scheme). In this case, a dinuclear palladium complex containing a bridging anthranilato ligand is isolated.

Synthesis and Reactivity of 2‐Aminophenylpalladium(II) Complexes: Insertion Reactions of Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide into Carbon−Palladium Bonds—New Examples of “Transphobia”

Novel anionic gold(I) and gold(III) organocomplexes

Study of the Reactivity of 2-Acetyl-, 2-Cyano-, 2-Formyl-, and 2-Vinylphenyl Palladium(II) Complexes. Mono- and Triinsertion of an Isocyanide into the Pd−C Bond. A 2-Cyanophenyl Palladium Complex as a Ligand

José Vicente

Papers

Synthesis and Reactivity of 2‐Aminophenylpalladium(II) Complexes: Insertion Reactions of Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide into Carbon−Palladium Bonds—New Examples of “Transphobia”

Novel anionic gold(I) and gold(III) organocomplexes

Study of the Reactivity of 2-Acetyl-, 2-Cyano-, 2-Formyl-, and 2-Vinylphenyl Palladium(II) Complexes. Mono- and Triinsertion of an Isocyanide into the Pd−C Bond. A 2-Cyanophenyl Palladium Complex as a Ligand

The ‘acac method’ for the synthesis of coordination and organometallic compounds: synthesis of gold complexes

Aqua palladium complexes: synthesis, properties and applications