Functionalized Benzyllithium Compounds

The naphthalene-catalyzed (2.5%) lithiation of phthalan 330 (or its substituted derivatives ) in THF at room temperature allowed the preparation of the functionalized benzyllithium intermediate 331, which reacted with electrophiles at —78°C to give, after hydrolysis, the corresponding functionalized benzyl alcohols 332 (Scheme 97). When carbon dioxide was used as the electrophilic reagent, the corresponding 5-lactone was directly obtained . When carbonyl compounds were used as electrophiles, the cyclization of the resulting products 332 under acidic conditions (85% H3PO4) allows the synthesis of substituted isochromans. 

The benzophenonedilithium compound 50, formed by reduction of benzophenone with lithium metal, crystallizes as a dimer (69). The four lithium atoms in the structure are divided into two different sets. The two benzophenone moieties are bridged, through the carbonyl oxygen atoms, by two symmetry-equivalent lithium atoms. Each of the two other lithiums is bonded to one phenyl ring and the ketone functionality reminiscent of that observed in benzyllithium (29), dilithiodibenzyl ketone (42), and dilithiodibenzylacetylene (49). The two different types of lithium atoms are complexed further to THE and TMEDA. 

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