Influence of Ligands on the Activity and Specificity of Soluble Transition Metal Catalysts

The reaction of a covalently σ-bonded ligand (alkyl group, hydrogen) with a molecule (olefin, CO) attached to the transition metal by a coordinate bond is the essence of many catalytic processes. The influence of the other ligands in the complex on this reaction is discussed in the present article. Various ways in which the ligands can act, e.g. by electronic effects via the σ and π electron systems of the complex and by steric effects, are first described separately and then illustrated by examples.