In 1988, Wilke[cite]10.1002/anie.198801851[/cite] reported molecule 1 It was a highly unexpected outcome of a nickel-catalyzed reaction and was described as a 24-annulene with an unusual 3D shape. Little attention has been paid to this molecule since its original report, but the focus has now returned!
AbstractOne hundred years of organonickel chemistry have generated a wealth of new knowledge and a history of examples of accidental discoveries which have finally led to industrial applications. The historical development is associated with the names of Mond, Sabatier, Reppe and Ziegler and, with the methods and techniques available today, many of the original discoveries and unsolved problems are attracting renewed attention. For example, 70 years were to go by before a synthesis first conceived by Sabatier could finally be realized. The path leading from nickel‐catalyzed hydrogenation to highly enantioselective homogeneous catalysts is one of the contributions to organonickel chemistry which is described here.