Iron-catalysed, hydride-mediated reductive cross-coupling of vinyl halides and Grignard reagents.

An iron-catalysed, hydride-mediated reductive cross-coupling reaction has been developed for the preparation of alkanes. Using a bench-stable iron(II) pre-catalyst, reductive cross-coupling of vinyl iodides, bromides and chlorides with aryl- and alkyl Grignard reagents successfully gave the products of formal sp(3)-sp(3) cross-coupling reactions.