Reaction lithium compounds

Unlike elimination and nucleophilic substitution reactions foimation of oigano lithium compounds does not require that the halogen be bonded to sp hybndized carbon Compounds such as vinyl halides and aiyl halides m which the halogen is bonded to sp hybndized carbon react m the same way as alkyl halides but at somewhat slowei rates... 

Uses. The largest use of lithium metal is in the production of organometaUic alkyl and aryl lithium compounds by reactions of lithium dispersions with the corresponding organohaHdes. Lithium metal is also used in organic syntheses for preparations of alkoxides and organosilanes, as weU as for reductions. Other uses for the metal include fabricated lithium battery components and manufacture of lithium alloys. It is also used for production of lithium hydride and lithium nitride. 

Deuterium is abundant in and easily separated from water. There is enough deuterium on earth to provide power for geological time scales. In contrast, tritium is not available in nature, but can be produced from n+ lithium reactions (see Lithium and lithium compounds). Natural Hthium is exhaustible, but sufficient tritium can be provided from it until fusion energy production is efficient enough to involve only D-D reactions ... 

The transmetallation of lithio derivatives with either magnesium bromide or zinc chloride has been employed to increase further their range of synthetic application. While the reaction of l-methyl-2-pyrrolyllithium with iodobenzene in the presence of a palladium catalyst gives only a poor yield (29%) of coupled product, the yield can be dramatically improved (to 96%) by first converting the lithium compound into a magnesium or zinc derivative (Scheme 83) (81TL5319). 

This procedure illustrates a general method for the preparation of alkenes from the pal 1 adium(Q)-cata1yzed reaction of vinyl halides with organo-lithium compounds, which can be prepared by various methods, including direct regioselective lithiation of hydrocarbons. The method is simple and has been used to prepare a variety of alkenes stereoselectively. Similar stoichiometric organocopper reactions sometimes proceed in a nonstereoselective... 

Research on perfluoroaromatic lithium compounds, like that of the magnesium compounds, has decreased since their initial discovenes Most of the recent effort IS concerned with reactions of the perfluoroaryllithium compounds with various substrates... 

Among other fluoroaromatic lithium compounds, 2,2 -dilithioperfluoro-biphenyl was investigated No secondary alcohols as mentioned previously m similar reactions are noted in any examples [55]... 

In most instances, perfluoroaliphatic magnesium and lithium compounds exhibit less thermal stability than perfluoroaromatic compounds This instability imposes some stringent restrictions on their reactions A prior knowledge ol their stability at various temperatutes is fundamental to their subsequent use as or-... 

Perfluoroacetylenic lithium compounds on reaction with electrophiles yield perfluoroacetylenic functional derivatives [78, 79] (equation 43)... 

Although the early reacbons of perfluoroaliphatic and aromatic lithium compounds with various carbonyl compounds gave low yields and mixtures of prod ucts, the current understanding of experimental conditions makes this reaction an attractive means of preparing a variety of fluonne-containmg compounds... 

When the enamine is in conjugation with a carbonyl function, as in a-aminomethylene aldehydes (528,529), ketones (530), or esters (531), a Michael addition is found in vinylogous analogy to the reactions of amides. An application to syntheses in the vitamin A series employed a vinyl lithium compound (532). 

Solvent polarity is also important in directing the reaction bath and the composition and orientation of the products. For example, the polymerization of butadiene with lithium in tetrahydrofuran (a polar solvent) gives a high 1,2 addition polymer. Polymerization of either butadiene or isoprene using lithium compounds in nonpolar solvent such as n-pentane produces a high cis-1,4 addition product. However, a higher cis-l,4-poly-isoprene isomer was obtained than when butadiene was used. This occurs because butadiene exists mainly in a transoid conformation at room temperature (a higher cisoid conformation is anticipated for isoprene) ... 

Lithium foil is commercially available. Its surface is covered with a "native film" consisting of various lithium compounds [Li0H,Li20,Li3N, (Li20-C02) adduct, or Li2C03], These compounds are produced by the reaction of lithium with 02, H20, C02, or N2. These compounds can be detected by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) [2], As mentioned below, the surface film is closely related to the cycling efficiency. 

The influence of 1,2-asymmctric induction on the exchange of diastereotopic bromine atoms has also been investigated22,23. Thus, treatment of the / -silyloxydibromo compound 15 with butyllithium at — 110°C in the presence of 2-methylpropana led to products 17-19 after the reaction mixture was warmed to 20 °C. The distribution of the products indicates that the diastereomeric lithium compounds 16 A and 16B were formed in a ratio of 84 16, with 16A being kinetically favored by 1,2-asymmetric induction. Formation of the m-configurated epoxide (cis,anti-18) was slowed to such an extent that its formation was incomplete and a substantial amount of the parent bromohydrin 17 remained. The analogous m.yyn-configurat-ed epoxide was not observed. Presumably for sterie reasons, the parent bromohydrin did not cyclize to the epoxide but instead led to the ketone 1923. 

Addition reactions of the a-seleno lithium reagent 26 to carbonyl compounds have been undertaken 27. The a-seleno lithium reagents are configurationally labile at — 78 °C 27 28 and, therefore, the diastereoselectivity observed with 26 ( 90 10) does not significantly depend on the nature of the electrophile but rather reflects the thermodynamic ratio of the diastereomeric lithium compounds. 

Vinylic copper reagents react with CICN to give vinyl cyanides, though BrCN and ICN give the vinylic halide instead." Vinylic cyanides have also been prepared by the reaction between vinylic lithium compounds and phenyl cyanate PhOCN." Alkyl cyanides (RCN) have been prepared, in varying yields, by treatment of sodium trialkylcyanoborates with NaCN and lead tetraacetate." Vinyl bromides reacted with KCN, in the presence of a nickel complex and zinc metal to give the vinyl nitrile. Vinyl triflates react with LiCN, in the presence of a palladium catalyst, to give the vinyl nitrile." ... 

This type of metallic exchange is used much less often than 12-32 and 12-33. It is an equilibrium reaction and is useful only if the equilibrium lies in the desired direction. Usually the goal is to prepare a lithium compound that is not prepared easily in other ways, for example, a vinylic or an allylic lithium, most commonly from an organotin substrate. Examples are the preparation of vinyllithium from phenyl-lithium and tetravinyltin and the formation of a-dialkylamino organolithium compounds from the corresponding organotin compounds ... 

Reaction betweeen vinylic lithium compounds and silyl peroxides... 

The corrosion resistance of lithium electrodes in contact with aprotic organic solvents is due to a particular protective film forming on the electrode surface when it first comes in contact witfi tfie solvent, preventing further interaction of the metal with the solvent. This film thus leads to a certain passivation of lithium, which, however, has the special feature of being efiective only while no current passes through the external circuit. The passive film does not prevent any of the current flow associated with the basic current-generating electrode reaction. The film contains insoluble lithium compounds (oxide, chloride) and products of solvent degradation. Its detailed chemical composition and physicochemical properties depend on the composition of the electrolyte solution and on the various impurity levels in this solution. 

A study aimed at optimizing yields in this reaction found that carbinol formation was a major competing process if the reaction was not carried out in such a way that all of the lithium compound was consumed prior to hydrolysis.113 Any excess lithium reagent that is present reacts extremely rapidly with the ketone as it is formed by hydrolysis. Another way to avoid the problem of carbinol formation is to quench the reaction mixture with trimethylsilyl chloride.114 This procedure generates the disilyl acetal, which is stable until hydrolysis. 

Organocadmium compounds can be prepared from Grignard reagents or organo-lithium compounds by reaction with Cd(II) salts.180 They can also be prepared directly from alkyl, benzyl, and aryl halides by reaction with highly reactive cadmium metal generated by reduction of Cd(II) salts.181... 

The solvomercuration reaction (Section 4.1.3) provides a convenient source of organomercury compounds such as 7-1 and 7-2. How can these be converted to functionalized lithium compounds such as 7-3 and 7-4 ... 

We hope that the results outlined in this review have demonstrated that the chemistry of the tetrahalogenobenzynes is sufficiently different from the chemistry of benzyne to be worthy of study. That four electron with drawing substituents are essential to the high reactivity of arynes in reactions with aromatic systems has been demonstrated by generating the isomeric trifluorobenzynes from the aryl-lithium compounds (135) and (136) in the presence of an excess of benzene 169>. Whereas tetra-fluorobenzyne reacts under similar conditions to give the 1,4-cycloadduct in greater than 50% yield the compounds (137) and (138) are produced in 16% and ca. 1.5% yields respectively. 

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