In practical sense, the most important reaction of metal acyls is their detachment by reductive elimination of aldehydes from acyl metal hydrides:
:LMC(O)R(H) → LM + RCHO
This reaction is the final step of hydroformylation.
Another important reaction is decarbonylation. This reaction requires that the acyl complex be coordinatively unsaturated:
:LMC(O)R → LM(CO)R + L
:LMC(O)R → LM(CO)R
The oxygen center of acyl ligands is basic. This aspect is manifested in O-alkylations, which converts acyl complexes to alkoxycarbene complexes: