ABSTRACT
The Barbier reaction has intrigued chemists from the time Barbier first reported the production of 2,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-2-heptene from the reaction of methyl iodide with 2-methyl-6-oxo-2-heptene and magensium metal in 1 898 [ 1 ] . Although largely supplanted by the much more versatile Grignard reaction as a synthetic tool, this "one-step," "in situ Grignard," or "direct reaction," has found some unique ,applications and is . still of interest to many researchers. Some large,scale industrial processes also employ the Barbier reaction for product synthesis. This section will try to convey the broad scope of the Barbier reaction and highlight some of the more useful applications. The reader is referred to major works on the Barbier reaction by Blomberg [ 1 88] and Hartog [ 1 89], review articles by Blomberg and Hartog [2] and Ralston and Salem [3] as well as the annual reviews on magnesium in the Journal of Organometallic Chemistry for additional information.
