Alkyl halides and nitroaromatics are reduced by CrCl2. The moderate electronegativity of chromium and the range of substrates that CrCl2 can accommodate make organochromium reagents very synthetically versatile.
The use of chromium(II) chloride as a reducing agent for alkyl halides and nitroaromatics is based on its moderate electronegativity, which allows it to effectively reduce these compounds while being compatible with various other functional groups.