Significance: Organozinc compounds are very useful intermediates in synthesis of complex organic molecules due to their high reactivity combined with an excellent tolerance of functional groups. So far, the direct insertion of commercial zinc dust into organic halides was limited only to alkyl iodides and tertiary bromides, which diminished its synthetic value. Herein, a new method, allowing th...

The C–H alkylation of arenes with N-based directing groups typically requires high temperatures and/or harsh reaction conditions, which has traditionally reduced its functional group compatibility and applicability for late-stage functionalization. We report that a cyclometallated Ru complex is able to perform the bearing variety N-directing primary alkyl bromides at room temperature under mild...

1,3-Dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene borane and 2,4-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylidene borane are found to be useful reagents for the reduction of alkyl iodides and bromides bearing nearby electron withdrawing substituents. Signatures of radical chain reactions are seen in many cases, but ionic reductions may also be occurring with some substrates. The reagents are attractive because of their low molec...

In 1916 Jacobs, Heidelberger, and coworkers at the Rockefeller Institute reported the discovery of a new class of synthetic compounds which possessed potent bactelicidal properties. By reacting hexamethylenetetramine with a large variety of substituted benzylor alkyl-halides, nujmerous quaternary salts of this base were obtained. It was observed that most of these salts had pronounced bacterici...