Magnesium tert-butoxide

The method chosen by Eli Lilly to prepare 1 in large quantities is shown in Fig. 2. Although this synthesis is amenable to scale-up, it uses rather expensive starting materials and reagents such as (R)-chloro-2,3-propanediol or (R)-glycidol, vinyl magnesium bromide, and potassium tert-butoxide. An evaluation of the previously published synthetic methods indicated to us that a lower-cost synthesis of 1 could be developed by the use of alternative raw materials. 

AETHYLALKOHOL (German) (64-17-5) Forms explosive mixture with air [flash point 55°F/13°C 68°F/20°C (80%) 72°F/22°C (60%) 79°F/26°C (40%)]. Reacts, possibly violently, with strong oxidizers, bases, acetic anhydride, acetyl bromide, acetyl chloride, aliphatic amines, bromine pentafluoride, calcium oxide, cesium oxide, chloryl perchlorate, disulfuryl difluoride, ethylene glycol methyl ether, iodine heptafluoride, isocyanates, nitrosyl perchlorate, perchlorates, platinum, potassium-tert-butoxide, potassium, potassium oxide, potassium peroxide, phosphorus(III) oxide, silver nitrate, silver oxide, sulfuric acid, oleum, sodium, sodium hydrazide. sodium peroxide, sulfinyl cyanamide, tetrachlorosilane, -tri-azine-2,4,6-triol, triethoxydialuminum tribromide, triethylaluminum, uranium fluoride, xenon tetrafluoride. Mixture with mercury nitrate(II) forms explosive mercury fulminate. Forms explosive complexes with perchlorates, magnesium perchlorate (forms ethyl perchlorate), silver perchlorate. Flow or agitation of substance may generate electrostatic charges due to low conductivity. 

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