An Old But Useful Reaction

The Reformatsky reaction, introduced in 1887, has often caused problems for process chemists, partly due to its heterogeneous nature and dependence on the quality and surface properties of the zinc used. Now both homogeneous and heterogeneous versions exist, some using only catalytic quantities of activated metal. The reaction can often be used industrially and can be an excellent way to introduce two new centres in a diastereoselective manner. A typical example is shown below.

A Reformatsky reaction performed on a large scale in industry

For a short review, see Cozzi P G, Angew Chem Int Ed, 2007, 46, 2568-2571. This summary has lots of up-to-date references to the literature and a discussion of the reasons for diastereoselectivity.

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Trevor Laird