Aspects of dihydrogen coordination chemistry relevant to reactivity in aqueous solution

The aqueous coordination chemistry of dihydrogen has potential applications in inorganic biomimicry, chemoselective hydrogenation catalysis, and green chemistry. However, experimental and mechanistic studies that explore the aqueous behavior of these complexes are virtually unknown. This review identifies the motivation for studying aqueous dihydrogen coordination complexes by providing a summary of reactions that involve a dihydrogen ligand in highly polar solvents. The under-utilized potential of aqueous dihydrogen complexes in ionic hydrogenation reactions and in biomimicry is addressed. Finally, NMR methods for characterizing H–H bond distances in η2-H2 complexes are reviewed.