Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
A complex of samarium diiodide (SmI(2)) with tetraglyme catalyzes the intermolecular pinacol coupling of aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes at loadings of 10 mol % in the presence of Me(2)SiCl(2) and Mg. Diastereoselectivity of up to 95/5 (+/-/meso) has been achieved for aliphatic aldehydes and up to 19/81 (+/-/meso) for aromatic aldehydes. De values of up to 99% have been achieved in intramolecular pinacol coupling reactions using the SmI(2)/tetraglyme/Mg/Me(2)SiCl(2) catalytic system.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Aspinall et al. (2005) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: