Highly Reactive Metallic Nickel: Reductive Homocoupling Reagent for Benzylic Mono- and Polyhalides

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00186a003

Metallic nickel, prepared by the reduction of nickel halides with lithium in glyme using naphthalene as an electron carrier, was found to be a useful reagent for the homocoupling of benzylic mono- and polyhalides.Benzyl halides reacted with metallic nickel at room temperature to give the corresponding 1,2-diarylethanes in good to high yields and functional groups on the aromatic ring such as methoxy, chloro, bromo, nitro, cyano, and alkoxycarbonyl groups were not affected under the conditions employed.Benzylic monohalides (1-(chloromethyl)- or 2-(bromomethyl)naphthalene, chlorodiphenylmethane, and 9-bromofluorene) also underwent coupling reactions with metallic nickel at room temperature to give the corresponding ethane derivatives.On the other hand, benzylic di- and trihalides such as α,α-dibromotoluene and α,α,α-trichlorotoluene yielded mixtures of cis and trans isomers of substituted ethenes.The intermediate of the reaction, benzylnickel complex, was trapped with electron deficient olefins such as methyl acrylate and acrylonitrile.