Bimetallic nickel and palladium complexes for catalytic applications

South Africa is a mineral-rich country and one area in which minerals can be very important is catalysis. Over an extended period of time, homogeneous catalysis has grown to become very useful, particularly in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The organometallic compounds required in the catalysis industry have advanced from metallocenes to an alternative in the form of α-diimines. Most α-diimines are prepared from iminopyridyl moieties and are most active with nickel and palladium transition metals. This review providesa history of homogeneous catalysis and a discussion on iminopyridines, with the main focus on the nickel and palladium complexes formed from them. There follows a discussion of the bimetallic nickel and palladium complexes in various catalytic applications such as Suzuki and Heck coupling, with the main focus on ethylene polymerisation. The limitations are addressed and possible solutions presented to overcome those challenges. Several reviews in the related topics are to be found in the literature but not the α-diimine with iminopyridines and bimetallic nickel and palladium metals.