Reductive elimination is often seen in higher oxidation states, and can involve a two-electron change at a single metal center (mononuclear) or a one-electron change at each of two metal centers (binuclear, dinuclear, or bimetallic).
For mononuclear reductive elimination, the oxidation state of the metal decreases by two, while the d-electron count of the metal increases by two. This pathway is common for d metals Ni(II), Pd(II), and Au(III) and d metals Pt(IV), Pd(IV), Ir(III), and Rh(III). Additionally, mononuclear reductive elimination requires that the groups being eliminated must be cis to one another on the metal center.
For binuclear reductive elimination, the oxidation state of each metal decreases by one, while the d-electron count of each metal increases by one. This type of reactivity is generally seen with first row metals, which prefer a one-unit change in oxidation state, but has been observed in both second and third row metals.