Trace metal impurities in catalysis

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2012,41, 979-987, DOI: 10.1039/C2CS15249E
Trace metal impurities in catalysis
Isabelle Thomé , Anne Nijs and Carsten Bolm
Institut für Organische Chemie der RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
Abstract
Metal-catalysed transformations are a powerful tool in organic chemistry. Many metal-containing compounds have been applied in carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bond formations. However, not every component originally claimed as catalyst ultimately turned out to be the active ingredient.
Sometimes trace metal impurities were the actual catalytic species. Authors review recent findings in transition metal-catalysed cross-coupling reactions and detail several reports from the past.  These findings show that “trace metal catalysis” is not a newly discovered phenomenon.
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