LAUSR

Abstract Late transition metal complexes with metal-silicon or metal-germanium σ bond show the chemical properties that could not be found for the complexes with metal-carbon σ bond. In this article, we review reports on the multinuclear group 10 transition metal complexes having bridging Si- and Ge- ligands for these several decades. Studies of dipalladium and diplatinum complexes with bridging Si- and Ge- ligands revealed activation of the Si H and Ge H bonds of the ligands as well as the reverse bond-forming reactions of hydride and bridging Si- and Ge- ligands. A part of the complexes undergo intramolecular Si Si and Ge Ge bond forming reactions under mild conditions. Triangular triplatinum(0) complexes having three bridging diarylsilylene ligands cause skeletal rearrangement upon addition of alkynes. The complex with SiPh2 ligands catalyzes the hydrosilylation of aromatic aldehydes and ketones with H2SiPh2. Tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and octanuclear Pd and Pt complexes with bridging silylene and germylene ligands are obtained from thermal reactions of the mono- and di-nuclear metal complexes with Si- and Ge- ligands. Addition of CuI and AgI to the planar tetranulcelar complexes of Pd and Pt affords the complexes having a Pd Pd(Pt) Cu(Ag) triangle, while heating the product causes elimination of CuI and AgI and regeneration of the tetranuclear planar complex.