Metal–Arene Reductants: A Strategic Tool for Synthesizing Monometallic to Intermetallic Nanostructures

Metal arene-based reducing agents, particularly sodium naphthalenide (Na–Naph) and lithium naphthalenide (Li–Naph), are highly capable of forming variety of nanoparticles (NPs) and quantum dots (QDs) of highly electropositive elements belonging from post-transition metal and semimetal and impurity-free intermetallic phases that can be used in technological fields. Nevertheless, this method is not much recognized. It offers many advantages over conventional hydride- and polyol-based routes. Their exceptional reducing strength and radical-driven mechanism enable the simultaneous coreduction of different metal ions, thereby effectively eliminating long-standing obstacles during the synthesis of ordered intermetallic phases. This review aims to give a comprehensive account of metal–arene-driven synthesis to prepare unary, binary, and ternary intermetallic compound (IMC) NPs. This review also explores the structure–property correlations, highlights emerging applications across diverse domains, and outlines sustainable pathways for green, scalable synthesis. Ultimately, the real potential of metal–arene-driven synthesis lies in using it as a strategic tool for designing the next generation of IMC NPs with a diversity of composition and architectures having tunable electronic and functional properties.