Cerium reactions with mercury

The action of n-butyllithium in THF at low temperature leads to the anion. After reaction with an electrophilic compound, e hydrolysis can generally be carried out in polar solvents (acetone, alcohols, acetonitrile) in the presence of mercury(II) chloride or oxide and water.In other cases, NBS, - chloramine T, cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate, n-tributyltin hydride, trialkyloxonium tetrafluorobor-ate, thallium nitrate or photochemistry can be used. Desulfurization by Raney nickel gives hydro-carbons. ... 

Mercury forms amalgams with numerous metals. Usually, this conversion is very exothermic, therefore it can present risks the reaction can become violent if a metai is added too quickly into mercury. Accidents have been described with caicium (at 390°C), aluminium, alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium) and cerium. Some of these alloys are very inflammable, in particular the Hg-Zn amalgam. 

However, in regard to the reactions of tungsten with metallic elements, the situation is quite different. A large number of metals exist which fail to react with tungsten, like the alkali metals, the alkaline earth metals with the exception of beryllium, the rare earth metals with the exception of cerium, and especially the elements scandium, yttrium, lanfiianiun, copper, silver, gold, zinc, cadmium, mercury, indium, thallium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, and polonium. 

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