Stereospecific Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Alkyl Grignard Reagents and Identification of Selective Anti-Breast-Cancer Agents

Alkyl Grignard reagents that contain beta-hydrogen atoms were used in a stereospecific nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction to form C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)) bonds. Aryl Grignard reagents were also utilized to synthesize 1,1-diarylalkanes. Several compounds synthesized by this method exhibited selective inhibition of proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.