Coinage metals are probably an intriguing title for most of us. What does that mean? To put it briefly, it refers to those metals used in the manufacture of coins. Once you think about it a minute, probably those metals are copper, silver, and gold. Today, we use other metals for coins but, since  ancient times, this triad has been used to make the filthy lucre. Or not so filthy, because once you enter the realm of organic chemistry, the role of these metals is everything but filthy. Although the synthetic applications of gold are still expanding, those of silver and especially copper are wide and constitute the core of many modern organometallic reactions. Thus, we have selected for this month the full issue «Coinage Metals in Organic Synthesis», edited by Bruce H. Lipshutz and Yoshinori Yamamoto (Chem. Rev. 2008, 108(8)). The issue includes reviews covering the applications of copper, silver, and gold in many different subjects.


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