Room-temperature cyclometallation of amines, imines and oxazolines with [MCl2Cp*](2) (M = Rh, Ir) and [RuCl2(p-cymene)](2)

N,N-Dimethylbenzylamine, alkyl and aryl imines derived from benzaldehyde, and 2-phenyl-4,4-dimethyloxazoline all undergo cyclometallation with [IrCl2Cp*](2) (Cp*=eta-C5Me5) when treated with NaOAc in dichloromethane at room temperature. The imines are also cyclometallated by [RhCl2Cp*](2) under the same conditions whilst only N-alkyl imines are cyclometallated by [RuCl2(p-cymene)](2). The role of acetate in the cyclometallation is more than just as a base. X-Ray structures of cyclometallated complexes [MCl{C6H4-2-C(H)=NCH2CH2OMe-kappaC, N}(eta-ring)](M=Ir, Rh ring=Cp*; M=Ru, ring=p-cymene), [MCl{C6H4-2-C(H)=NCH2CH2OMe-kappaC, N}Cp*](M=Ir, Rh), [RuCl(eta(2)-O2CMe)(p-cymene)] and [IrCl2(NH2Ph)Cp*] are reported.