Readily available and inexpensive NiBr2 has been used for the first time to accomplish the ligand-free and activator-less catalytic Suzuki coupling of a variety of arylhalides (ca. 60 examples) with several arylboronic acids in high yields under ambient conditions with good functional group tolerance.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are difficult substrates for hydrogenation because of the thermodynamic stability caused by aromaticity. We report here the first chromium- and cobalt-catalyzed, regiocontrolled hydrogenation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at ambient temperature. These reactions were promoted by low-cost chromium or cobalt salts combined with diimino/carbene ligand and methylmagnesium