"Polar organometallic compounds are important reagents in synthetic chemistry; these compounds are highly reactive due to the large polarization of their metal-carbon bond. Traditional examples such as organolithium and Grignard reagents have been studied and used for fundamental organic transformations since the early 20th Century, but the study of polar organometallics has undergone a revolution in the last decade. In solution the advent of new techniques has allowed the detailed investigation of reaction mechanisms and, in particular, the elucidation of active species in ways not previously achievable. The other major development is the advent of so-called synergic reagents. This new field that combines two organometallic reagents to give reagents that combine excellent basicity with poor nucleophilicity has opened up myriad organic transformations that would hitherto have been impossible using straightforward chemistry"-- Provided by publisher