The Isolobal Theory and Organotransition Metal Chemistry—Some Recent Advances

Hoffmann's isolobal theory was largely credited for bridging the gap between inorganic complexes and carbon-based compounds. Recent advances have extended its applications to organotransition metal monomers and cluster molecules. Isolobal mapping is not only applicable among molecules and molecular fragments, but also significant in comparing organometallic reactions. Such advancement is likely to influence current trends in mechanistic chemistry. Through a concise review of some of the latest and more representative results, this article aims to highlight and illustrate the versatility and applicability of the theory. Coupled with the Polyhedral Skeletal Electron Pair theory, the isolobality principle provides a useful theoretical underpinning for some synthetic and structural characteristics of many organotransition metal compounds.