The earliest organometallic compounds used in organic synthesis were the dialkylzinc and alkylzinc halide reagents discovered by Frankland at Marburg, and developed by the Russians Butlerov, Zaitsev and Vagner, at Kazan. In 1900, Victor Grignard discovered that using magnesium in place of the zinc provided a much less pyrophoric, easier to use organometallic nucleophile. Within ten years, the Grignard reagent had completely supplanted the earlier organozinc reagents, and assured Grignard of his Nobel Prize. American chemist Henry Gilman at Iowa State University expanded the reagents available to organic chemists by exploring the formation and reactivity of simple alkylmetal derivatives of most of the transition metals. In this presentation, the men behind the chemistry will be discussed, along with some of their early work.

Victor Grignard (1871-1935) and Henry Gilman (1893-1986): Pioneers in organometallic chemistry

255th National Meeting (2018)

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