Easily Bridget

Imagine accessing one of chemistry’s most reactive, yet elusive intermediates, carbenes, easily, safely, and under mild conditions. Thanks to a groundbreaking study led by  David Nagib  and colleagues at The Ohio State University, that vision is now a reality. Published in  Science , this evolving breakthrough reshapes how chemists generate and harness metal carbenes, which are pivotal in crafting complex molecules for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced materials ( OSU News ). Why Carbenes Matter — and Why They Were Hard to Make Carbenes are fleeting carbon species with two bonds and a pair of nonbonded electrons in a divalent state. Their high reactivity makes them ideal for creating strained three-membered rings, known as cyclopropanes, structures commonly found in many drugs. However, generating carbenes has long relied on hazardous precursors, such as diazo compounds or dihalo reagents, which are limited in scope and pose significant safety risks ( PubMed ,...