Alkoxides like molecular precursors

Massiani, M. C., Papiernik, R., Hubert-Pfalzgraf, L. G., and Daran, J. C., Molecular precursors of bismuth oxide. Synthesis and structure of [Bi2(OC2H40Me)4(OC2H40Me)2]oo, a one-dimensional ribbon-like chain, J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 301 Massiani, M. C., Papiernik, R., Hubert-Pfalzgraf, L. G., and Daran, J. C., Molecular precursors of bismuth oxides b-Diketo-nates and alkoxides. Molecular structure of [Bi2(0C2H40Me)6] and of Bi(OSiPh3)3(THF)3, Polyhedron, 10, 437 (1991). 

Like in the hydrolytic way, the knowledge of mechanisms is made difficult by the conplicated nature of molecular precursors. First, one has to bear in mind that rapid scrambling of ligands (halide, alkoxide, carboxylate, etc.) takes place around metal and semi-metal centers even at room temperature (Eq. 26.10). For instance, a mixture of metal (or silicon) chloride and metal (or silicon) alkoxide rapidly leads to a mixture of chloroalkoxides, which are the actual precursors (Moedritzer, 1971). 

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