Matt DaCosta's first lead authored paper on bis-2-adamantyl magnesium

Adamantane—the diamond-like cage molecule—appears in many pharmaceuticals and advanced materials, but one of its key forms (the 2-adamantyl group) has been hard to work with. Chemists have long lacked a practical, stable source of the corresponding reactive “anion” that can reliably transfer this group onto other molecules or metals.

This work by Matt DaCosta reports the first convenient synthesis and full characterization of bis-2-adamantyl magnesium, a compound that delivers two of these groups and remains stable for months in solution or as crystals. It outperforms the previously available mono-adamantyl Grignard reagent in both organic reactions (such as additions to aldehydes) and metal chemistry (such as attaching the group to molybdenum). The result is a more powerful, halide-free, and practical building block that should expand the use of 2-adamantyl chemistry in synthesis and catalysis.

DaCosta, M. V., Taullaj, F., Lin, J. H., & Fekl, U. (2026). Bis(2-Adamantyl) Magnesium: Synthesis, Structure, and Applications of a Versatile and Shelf-Stable 2-Adamantyl Anion Equivalent. ChemEurJ. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.71455