The reaction of allyl halide and a carbonyl compound under the aegis of tetragonal tin(II) oxide and catalyticd⁸,d¹⁰ metal complexes provides the corresponding homoallylic alcohol, via a novel allyl tin intermediate.

A catalytic combination of [Ir(COD)Cl]₂-SnCl₄ efficiently promotes the reactions of arenes and heteroarenes with $1^\circ/2^\circ/3^\circ$ benzyl alcohols as the alkylating agents to afford the corresponding diarylmethane and triarylmethane derivatives in high yields. The scope and limitation of the reaction with respect to catalyst and substrates variation has been studied in detail.

The reaction of benzyl bromides and chlorides with aluminium metal powder or foil (1.2 eqv.) in the presence of catalytic nickel nitrate (10 mol%) in water at room temperature resulted in homocoupling to the corresponding bibenzyl products which were isolated in moderate to good yields. In sharp contrast, the same reaction in organic solvents like dichloromethane, dimethylformamide,acetonitrile, methanol and toluene yielded only a trace amount of the desired product. The scope of the reaction was tested with substituents on the aromatic ring such as Me-, Cl-, CN-, F-, NO2-, Ph- as well as 2° benzyl halides.