Two metals are better than one

UK chemists have developed reagents that can metallate ethers and ethene at room temperature without them disintegrating. Using combinations of zinc and alkali metals the team made stable, crystalline complexes with carbon-zinc bonds that can then be used in further reactions. The work provides insight into the fundamentals of metallation chemistry and could provide a useful and safer alternative to aggressive organolithium reagents.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/October/29100903.asp