Question

What is transmetallation?  What is oxidative addition? What is reductive elimination?

Answer 1

Transmetallation - Its an organometallic reaction thatt involves the transfer of ligands from one metal to another.

They are of 2 types redox transmetallation and redox transmetallation/ligand exchange. In case of redox transmetallation one metal undergoes reduction and other oxidation.

Here M2 is more electropositive than M1 and that is the force for reaction as the ligand will be attracted more to M2.

Redox transmetallation/ligand exchange case its as follows

This one also the driving force is the electronegativity difference and the thermal stabilty of the products. R can be alkyl, aryl, allyl and X can be halogen, pseudohalogen or alkyl or aryl.

Oxidative addition - Its a reaction where on addition of a ligand to a complex the oxidation of the metal occurs.The oxidation number and the coordination number increases by +2. It mostly occurs in square planar complexes. The adition is mostly cis addition.

Reductive elimination - Its a reaction that is reverse of oxidative addition. The ligand is remove from the complex and the oxidation number and coordination number decreases by -2.