Au, Ching Chi. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-89). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Table of contents --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / Abbreviations --- p.iv / Abstract --- p.v / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Importance of Transition Metal Amido Complexes --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Transition Metal Amido Complexes as Catalysts --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Transition Metal Amido Complexes as Reaction Intermediates --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Bonding Nature of Late Transition Metal Amido Complexes --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Theory of π Conflict --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- E-C Approach --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3 --- Synthesis of Transition Metal Amido Complexes --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Transmetallation --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Deprotonation of Coordinated Amine --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Hydride Addition across Organic Azide --- p.11 / Chapter 1.4 --- Reactivity of Transition Metal Amido Complexes --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- β-Elimination --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Insertion --- p.13 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Reductive Elimination --- p.16 / Chapter 1.4.4 --- Bond Activation --- p.17 / Chapter 1.5 --- Structural Features of Rhodium Porphyrin Complexes --- p.18 / Chapter 1.6 --- Examples of Metalloporphyrin Complexes Containing Nitrogen Ligands --- p.19 / Chapter 1.7 --- Bond Activation by Rhodium Porphyrins --- p.21 / Chapter 1.8 --- Objectives of the Work --- p.23 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Synthesis and Reactivity Studies of Rhodium Porphyrin Amido Complexes --- p.24 / Chapter 2.1 --- Synthesis of Porphyrin and Rhodium Porphyrin Chloride --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2 --- Synthesis of Rhodium Porphyrin Amido Complexes from Rhodium Porphyrin Chloride --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- By Transmetallation with Lithium Amide --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- By Base-promoted Ligand Substitution Using Rh(ttp)Cl --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.2.1 --- Optimization of Reaction Conditions --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.2.2 --- Substrate Scope --- p.31 / Chapter 2.3 --- X-ray Structure of Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph --- p.33 / Chapter 2.4 --- Bond Activation Chemistry of Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph --- p.36 / Chapter 2.5 --- Conclusion --- p.37 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Reactivity Studies of Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph --- p.39 / Chapter 3.1 --- Thermal Reaction of Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph in Benzene-d6 --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2 --- Mechanistic Studies of the Conversion from Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph to [Rh(ttp)]2 --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Mechansim A (Hydrolysis of Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph) --- p.42 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Mechanism B (Rh-N Bond Homolysis - (PhS02NH)2 Hydrolysis) --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Mechanism C (Rh-N Bond Homolysis - (PhS02NH)2 Nitrogen-Hydrogen Bond Activation) --- p.45 / Chapter 3.3 --- Discussions --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Estimation of Rhodium-Nitrogen Bond Dissociation Energy --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Effect of Excess PhS02NH2 in the Synthesis of Rh(ttp)NHS02Ph --- p.58 / Chapter 3.4 --- Conclusion --- p.58 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Experimental Section --- p.60 / References --- p.83 / Appendix I X ray data --- p.90 / Appendix I List of Spectra --- p.96