Halide-lithium exchange reactions metalation

These are usually reactions of anhydrous transition and B metal halides with dry alkali metal salts such as the sulphides, nitrides, phosphides, arsenides etc. to give exchange of anions. They tend to be very exothermic with higher valence halides and are frequently initiated by mild warming or grinding. Metathesis is described as a controlled explosion. Mixtures considered in the specific reference above include lithium nitride with tantalum pentachloride, titanium tetrachloride and vanadium tetrachloride, also barium nitride with manganese II iodide, the last reaction photographically illustrated. 

In fact, lithium diphenylphosphide can be reacted in situ with alkyl halides to give phosphines. Obviously, this reaction could be a serious side reaction in mixtures obtained from lithium reagents and phosphorus trichloride in which residual lithium was present. It should be noted also that metalation of triphenylphosphine with butyllithium occurred at the meta position on one ring to a small extent (58). Consequently, in the condensation of phosphorus halides with lithium reagents prepared by an exchange reaction employing butyllithium, an excess of the latter could result in mixtures. 

Reductive Metalation. The powerful reductive nature of this reagent makes it an important tool for lithium-heteroatom exchange reactions. Thus, it was established early on that (phenylthio)alkanes can be converted into their requisite alkyl-lithium species. This has become the method of choice over generation by lithium metal alone. The resultant alkyllithium species can either be quenched with a proton source (eq 1), or intercepted with an electrophile. This has subsequently evolved into a powerful technique, since the reaction is general for all chalcogens (eq 2f and halides (eq 3). ... 

Most metal chlorides undergo only partial metathetical halide/alkoxide exchange upon reaction with alcohols or no reaction at all even at elevated temperatures. The metal alkoxide chlorides thus obtained, MClx(OR), have not been used in sol-gel processing (see, however. Section 7.10.3.3.2). In order to achieve the preparation of homoleptic metal alkoxides from metal chlorides basic conditions are essential in order to trap the liberated HCl. This can be achieved by reaction of metal chlorides with alcohols in the presence of a base such as ammonia or, less often, trialkylamines or pyridine (Equation (11a)). The base also increases the equilibrium concentration of alkoxide ions, which are a more powerful nucleophile for reaction with the metal chloride than the parent alcohol. For this reason the use of alkali alkoxides (M OR), mostly lithium, sodium, or potassium alkoxides, proves to be more successful (Equation (11b)). The use of LiOR has advantages for the preparation of insoluble metal methoxides because LiCl is soluble in methanol and is thus easily separated from insoluble metal alkoxides. 

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