100 Years after Grignard: Where Does the Organometallic Chemistry of the Heavy Alkaline Earth Metals Stand Today?

Even a century after the discovery of the Grignard reagents, similar compounds of the heavy alkaline earth metals are still lacking. Owing to the industrial need for such compounds (in particular as anionic polymerization catalysts), the last few years have been marked by a rapid, extensive development which has culminated in the first structurally characterized alkylbarium derivatives such as the crown ether complex of bis(triphenylmethyl)barium (1). hmpt=hexamethylphosphoric acid triamide.