Nesmeianov Reaction

the synthesis of aromatic organometallic compounds through decomposition of double salts of aryl diazonium halides with heavy metal halides under the action of metal powders—for example,

[ArN₂]⁺HgX₃^- + Cu→ArHgX + N₂ + CuX₂

where Ar is an aromatic radical and X is a halogen atom. The reaction is used in the synthesis of organometallic compounds of mercury, antimony, arsenic, bismuth, and tin. Salts of halogenoniums, [Ar₂Hal]⁺X^- (Hal = chlorine, bromine, or iodine), and sulfonium, [Ar₃S]⁺X^-, may be used in place of diazonium salts to obtain aryl derivatives of both nontransition and transition metals (iron, molybdenum, tungsten). The reaction was discovered by Aleksandr N. Nesmeianov in 1929 and is an important method of synthesis.