In undergraduate level organometallic chemistry courses students are usually taught that organometallic compounds are toxic and unstable in air and water. While this is true of many complexes, some are also non-toxic and stable in air and water. Indeed, bioorganometallic chemistry, the study of biomolecules or biologically active molecules that contain at least one carbon directly bound to a metal, is a thriving subject, and air and water stability is a general pre-requisite. This interdisciplinary field is located at the borderline between chemistry, biochemistry, biology and medicine. In this tutorial review, various aspects of bioorganometallic chemistry are introduced, with the main emphasis on medicinal organometallic compounds. Organometallic therapeutics for cancer, HIV and malaria and other medicinal applications are described. It is also shown how rational ligand design has led to new improved therapies much in the same way that an organometallic chemist working in catalysis will design new ligands for improved activities.

Hydrogen is one of the essential reactants in the chemical industry, though its generation from renewable sources and storage in a safe and reversible manner remain challenging. Formic acid (HCO₂H or FA) is a promising source and storage material in this respect. Here, we present a highly active iron catalyst system for the liberation of H₂ from FA. Applying 0.005 mole percent of Fe(BF₄)₂·6H₂O and tris[(2-diphenylphosphino)ethyl]phosphine [P(CH₂CH₂PPh₂)₃, PP₃] to a solution of FA in environmentally benign propylene carbonate, with no further additives or base, affords turnover frequencies up to 9425 per hour and a turnover number of more than 92,000 at 80°C. We used in situ nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, kinetic studies, and density functional theory calculations to explain possible reaction mechanisms.

The discovery of new metal-based antitumour drugs, whether cisplatin derivatives or those based on other metals, has been largely based on cell viability assays (IC₅₀ values) and compounds that bind to DNA. This approach has been applied for more than 30 years during which time very few new drugs have entered clinical use. In this article we discuss what the future holds for metal-based drugs, in particular anti-metastasis drugs, in these enlightened times of the post genomic era.