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CROSS-COUPLING

Forged in iron

Fifty years ago, Kochi reported the iron-catalysed cross-coupling of alkenyl halides and alkyl Grignard reagents. Sparking a cross-coupling revolution, we reflect on the impact of this achievement and the importance of iron in the development of cross-coupling catalysis.

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Fig. 1: Metal-catalysed cross-coupling in organic chemistry arguably began with the work of Kochi and colleagues.

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Correspondence to Michael L. Neidig.

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Neate, P.G.N., Neidig, M.L. Forged in iron. Nat Rev Chem 5, 223–224 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-021-00259-4

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