Zinc Salts in Organic Solvents

Other than lithium or magnesium reagents, zinc organometallics easily transmetalate on palladium-based catalysts and therefore find a wide use in Negishi-type cross-coupling protocols. A convenient way to produce organo zinc species in-situ is by transmetalation. Starting from organo magnesium or lithium compounds, the respective zinc species is immediately formed upon the addition of a zinc salt such as zinc chloride or bromide.