1. General Survey. - Historical background. - Properties. - Classification of organometallic compounds by bond type. - Covalent two-centre two-electron bonds. - Ionic organometallic compounds. - Electron-deficient (multicentre bonded) compounds. - Cluster compounds. - Occurrence of bond type in organo-transition metal complexes. - Availability of electron orbitals in metals and metalloids. - The stability of organometallic compounds. - 2. Methods of Formation of Metal-Carbon Bonds of the Main Group Elements. - The reaction between a metal and an organic halogen compound. - Metal exchange:the reaction between a metal and an organometallic compound of another metal. - Reactions of organometallic compounds with metal halides. - Insertion of olefins and acetylenes into metal-hydrogen bonds. - Formation of metal-carbon bonds by other insertion reactions. - Reactions of diazo compounds. - Decarboxylation of heavy B-metal salts. - Mercuration and thallation of aromatic compounds. - Mercuration of olefins and acetylenes. - 3. Organometallic Compounds of Elements of the First Three Periodic Groups. - Structural aspects of the metal alkyls. - Preparative aspects. - 4. Organometallic Compounds of Elements of Main Groups IV and V. - Group IVB elements. - Silicones. - Group VB elements. - 5. Organometallic Compounds of the d-Block Transition Elements: Classification of Ligands and Theories of Bonding. - Classification of ligands. - The 18-electron rule. - Bonding in organometallic ?-complexes. - The bonding of other unsaturated hydrocarbons to transition metals. - 6. Preparation of Organo-Transition Metal Compounds. - General considerations. - Preparative routes. - Substitution by organometallic derivatives of main group elements. - Substition using organometallic derivatives of the transition elements : ligandtransfer. - From complex transition metal anions and halides. - Unexpected products. - 7. Reactions and Structures of Organometallic Compounds of the Transition Elements. - One-electron ligands. - Two-electron ligands. - Three-electron ligands: ?-allyl and ?-enyl complexes. - Four electron (diene) ligands. - Five-electron (dienyl) ligands. - Six-electron ligands. - Transition metal complexes containing ?-bonded heterocyclic ligands. - Seven-electron ligands. - Cyclo-octatetraene complexes. - 8. The Organic Chemistry of Ferrocene and Related Compounds. - The aromatic character of cyclic CnHnligands in transition metal complexes. - Aromatic properties of co-ordinated ligands. - Some mechanisms of electrophilic substitution. - Some particular reactions. - The interaction of the iron atom with ring substituents: ?-carbonium ion stabilization. - 9. Organometallic Complexes Formed from Acetylenes. - Mono-acetylene complexes. - Bisacetylene mononuclear complexes. - Trisacetylene complexes. - 10. The Role of Organotransition Metal Complexes in Some Catalytic Reactions. - Olefin isomerisation. - Homogeneous hydrogenation of olefins. - The oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde. - The trimerization of butadiene and related reactions catalyzed by some ?-allyl metal complexes. - Hydroformylation and related carbonylation reactions. - Catalytic conversation of acetylenes to ?? unsaturated acids in the presence of nickel carbonyl (Reppe process). - Vitamin B12 chemistry and related topics. - Nitrogen fixation. Language: English