The scope of the Br Mg-exchange reaction for the preparation of polyfunctional aryl and heteroaryl magnesium reagents has been studied. Various functional groups (ester, cyano, bromide) were tolerated in the exchange reaction allowing the preparation of polyfunctional Mg-reagents. Several dibromo-or tribromoheterocycles undergo a chemoselective mono- Br Mg exchange leading to highly functionalized heterocycles.
[Okamoto, Tsuyoshi; Kakinami, Takaaki; Fujimoto, Hiroshi; Kajigaeshi, Shoji Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 1991 , vol. 64, # 8 p. 2566 - 2568]