Stereospecific nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl Grignard reagents and identification of selective anti-breast-cancer agents

Alkyl Grignard reagents that contain β-hydrogen atoms were used in a stereospecific nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction to form C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)) bonds. Aryl Grignard reagents were also utilized to synthesize 1,1-diarylalkanes. Several compounds synthesized by this method exhibited selective inhibition of proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.