Metal-catalyzed reductive coupling of olefin-derived nucleophiles: Reinventing carbonyl addition

How to turn olefins into nucleophiles The Grignard reaction has a storied place in the development of organic chemistry. Recognized by the Nobel Prize more than a century ago, this coupling of organomagnesium halides with carbonyl compounds remains a widely used route to carbon-carbon bonds. Nguyen et al. review an emerging alternative protocol that replaces the sensitive magnesium reagent with a catalytically activated olefin and a reductant such as hydrogen or an alcohol. In addition to safety and efficiency considerations, this class of reactions benefits from the high abundance and low cost of the olefins. Science , this issue p. 300