Highly reactive organometals

Less is known about other organometals, but for the most part they are highly reactive chemically and therefore dangerous, if only on direct contact. It is prudent to exercise great caution in handling organometals, particularly the alkyl forms. Many organohthium compounds are explosive. See also individual compounds. 

To date, many electrophilic reagents, such as alkyl halides, alkenes, alkynes, carbonyl compounds, epoxides, alcohols, and ethers, have been investigated in AFC alkylation reactions. On the other hand, the reactive 5-membered heteroaromatic compounds, such as indole, pyrrole, furan, and thiophene derivatives, and electron-rich benzene derivatives have been successfully applied in AFC alkylation reactions. Indole and pyrrole derivatives are most popular substrates due to their high reactivity and account for almost 80% of the published methodologies. A variety of chiral organometal-lic catalysts and organocatalysts are employed in the catalytic AFC alkylation reactions with high enantiomeric control. 

Organometals containing more electropositive metals (e.g Li and Mg) are generally most reactive in many different kinds of reactions. And yet, the catalytic reactivity of these metals, especially Li, in the Pd-catalyzed reaction is lower than that of Zn in many cases. Because of their high intrinsic reactivity toward many functional groups, they are not very chemoselective in a traditional sense. As a consequence of these two generally... 

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