Reductive Coupling Reaction of Carbonyl Compounds In a TiCl4/Ga Bimetal Redox System

For about 20 yeers the chemisty of low-valent titanium complexes has received great attention¹ and now many of the reactions involving them are commonly used in synethesis². The reactivity, of the low-valent titanium slurries, obtained after reduction of titanium trichloride or titanium tetrachloride by means of strong reducting agents such as magnesium, zinc in tetrahydrofuran has also been studied^3-4. In 1995,we reported that carbonyl compounds react with ethyl trichloracetate and iodoacetonitrile in a PbCl₂/Ga bimetal redox system⁵. Herein, we report reductive coupling reaction of carbonyl compound to afford E-alkenes with TiCl₄/Ga bimetal redox system. Simplicity of produre and moderate to excellent yields of product.