Reactions of heavier main-group compounds with hydrogen, ammonia, ethylene and related small molecules.

The first reaction between hydrogen and a main-group compound under ambient conditions was reported in 2005. This unexpected result has been followed by numerous others which show that such reactivity is widespread in unsaturated and multiple bonded main-group species. These may react spontaneously not only with hydrogen, but also with ethylene, ammonia and related molecules. This account focuses on results from the author's laboratory but also on parallel work by other groups. The link between HOMO-LUMO separations, symmetry considerations and reactivity of the main-group species is emphasized as is their similarity in reactivity to transition-metal organometallic compounds.