Recent applications of gallium and gallium halides as reagents in organic synthesis

This review highlights the application of gallium metal and gallium halides as reagents in organic synthesis. Owing to their unique catalytic properties, gallium trihalides are considered effective Lewis acids which can activate several functional groups under extremely mild conditions. Gallium halides have been successfully employed as Lewis acid catalysts in various organic transformations such as alkylation, allylation, radical reactions, cycloaddition reactions, Friedel-Craft's reactions and various coupling reactions. This review seeks to update organic chemists about the potential application of gallium halides in the synthesis of a wide variety of chemical building blocks.