Undergoes a "homo-Reformatsky" coupling with carbonyl compounds leading to -lactones. The homoenolate can be generated with various lanthanide metals, La, Ce, Nd or Sm: J. Org. Chem., 55, 1628 (1990). Cyclopropanols may be synthesized by reaction of ?-halo esters with Grignard reagents and SmI2: Tetrahedron Lett., 32, 7691 (1991).