Methyllithium,

The phenylation of styrene with phenyl Grignard reagents as a hard carbon nucleophile proceeds in 75% yield in the presence of PdCl2, LiCl, and K2CO3 at room temperature to give stilbene (207). Selection of the solvent is crucial and the best results are obtained in MeCN. The reaction can be made catalytic by the use of CuCl2[197]. Methyllithium reacts with styrene in the presence of Pd(acac)2 or Pd(OAc)2 to give /3-methylstyrene (208) in 90% yield[198]. 

FIGURE 14 1 Electro static potential maps of (a) methyl fluoride and (b) methyllithium The electron distribution is reversed in the two compounds Carbon IS electron poor (blue) in methyl fluoride but electron rich (red) in methyllithium... 

Figure 14 1 uses electrostatic potential maps to show how different the electron distri bution IS between methyl fluoride (CH3F) and methyllithium (CH3L1)... 

Methyllithium has a polar covalent carbon-lithium bond... 

Several alternative methods followed this early work. In one, aromati2ation is effected by treating the ketal of androstadienedione with the radical anion obtained from lithium and diphenyl in refluxing tetrahydrofuran. Diphenylmethane is added to quench the methyllithium produced from the... 

Anionic polymerization of vinyl monomers can be effected with a variety of organometaUic compounds alkyllithium compounds are the most useful class (1,33—35). A variety of simple alkyllithium compounds are available commercially. Most simple alkyllithium compounds are soluble in hydrocarbon solvents such as hexane and cyclohexane and they can be prepared by reaction of the corresponding alkyl chlorides with lithium metal. Methyllithium [917-54-4] and phenyllithium [591-51-5] are available in diethyl ether and cyclohexane—ether solutions, respectively, because they are not soluble in hydrocarbon solvents vinyllithium [917-57-7] and allyllithium [3052-45-7] are also insoluble in hydrocarbon solutions and can only be prepared in ether solutions (38,39). Hydrocarbon-soluble alkyllithium initiators are used directiy to initiate polymerization of styrene and diene monomers quantitatively one unique aspect of hthium-based initiators in hydrocarbon solution is that elastomeric polydienes with high 1,4-microstmcture are obtained (1,24,33—37). Certain alkyllithium compounds can be purified by recrystallization (ethyllithium), sublimation (ethyllithium, /-butyUithium [594-19-4] isopropyllithium [2417-93-8] or distillation (j -butyUithium) (40,41). Unfortunately, / -butyUithium is noncrystaUine and too high boiling to be purified by distiUation (38). Since methyllithium and phenyllithium are crystalline soUds which are insoluble in hydrocarbon solution, they can be precipitated into these solutions and then redissolved in appropriate polar solvents (42,43). OrganometaUic compounds of other alkaU metals are insoluble in hydrocarbon solution and possess negligible vapor pressures as expected for salt-like compounds. 

Methyllithium. MethyUithium [917-54 ] CH Li, crystallizes from benzene or hexane solution giving cubic crystals that have a salt-hke constitution (128). Crystalline methyllithium molecules exist as tetrahedral tetramers (129). Solutions of methyllithium are less reactive than those of its higher homologues. Methyllithium is stable for at least six months in diethyl ether at room temperature. A one-molar solution of methyllithium in tetrahydrofuran (14 wt %) and cumene (83 wt %) containing 0.08 M dimethyknagnesium as stabilizer loses only 0.008% of its activity per day at 15°C and is nonpyrophoric (117). 

Compounds of the formulas Re(CR]), ReO(CH3)4, Li2[Re2(CH3)g] [60975-25-9], Re02(CH3)3 [56090-011-8], and Re03CH3 [70197-13-6] have been prepared. The first two compounds were obtained from reaction of rhenium hahdes or oxyhahdes and methyllithium the last three were formed from the species by oxidation or reduction reactions. The use of these hydride and alkyl complexes as catalysts is under investigation. 

Ethereal methyl1ithiurn (as the lithium bromide complex) was obtained by the submitters from Aldrich Chemical Company Inc. The checkers used 1.19 M methyl1ithiurn-lithium bromide complex in ether supplied by Alfa Products, Morton/Thiokol, Inc. The concentration of the methyllithium was determined by titration with 1.0 M tert-butyl alcohol in benzene using 1,10-phenanthroline as indicator. The submitters report that ethereal methyllithium of low halide content purchased from Alfa Products, Morton/Thiokol, Inc., gave similar results. 

One 1-ml aliquot is added to 1.0 ml of freshly-distilled 1,2-dibromo-ethane (bp 132°C) in an oven-dried flask which contains a static atmosphere of nitrogen or argon. After the resulting solution has been allowed to stand at 25°C for 5 min, it Is diluted with 10 rat of water and titrated for base content (residual base) to a phenolphthalein endpoint with standard 0.100 M hydrochloric acid. The second 1-mL aliquot is added cautiously to 10 ml of water and then titrated for base content (total base) to a phenol phthalein endpoint with standard aqueous 0.100 M hydrochloric acid. The methyllithium concentration is the difference between the total base and residual base concentrations.2 Alternatively, the methynithiura concentration may be determined by titration with a standard solution of sec-butyl alcohol employing 2,2 -bipyridyl as an indicator. 

Although ethereal solutions of methyl lithium may be prepared by the reaction of lithium wire with either methyl iodide or methyl bromide in ether solution, the molar equivalent of lithium iodide or lithium bromide formed in these reactions remains in solution and forms, in part, a complex with the methyllithium. Certain of the ethereal solutions of methyl 1ithium currently marketed by several suppliers including Alfa Products, Morton/Thiokol, Inc., Aldrich Chemical Company, and Lithium Corporation of America, Inc., have been prepared from methyl bromide and contain a full molar equivalent of lithium bromide. In several applications such as the use of methyllithium to prepare lithium dimethyl cuprate or the use of methyllithium in 1,2-dimethyoxyethane to prepare lithium enolates from enol acetates or triraethyl silyl enol ethers, the presence of this lithium salt interferes with the titration and use of methyllithium. There is also evidence which indicates that the stereochemistry observed during addition of methyllithium to carbonyl compounds may be influenced significantly by the presence of a lithium salt in the reaction solution. For these reasons it is often desirable to have ethereal solutions... 

The reaction of lithium with methyl chloride in ether solution produces a solution of methyllithium from which most of the relatively insoluble lithium chloride precipitates. Ethereal solutions of halide-free" methyllithium, containing 2-5 mole percent of lithium chloride, were formerly marketed by Foote Mineral Company and by Lithium Corporation of America, Inc., but this product has been discontinued by both companies. Comparable solutions are also marketed by Alfa Products and by Aldrich Chemical Company these solutions have a limited shelf-life and older solutions have often deteriorated... 

Seven procedures descnbe preparation of important synthesis intermediates A two-step procedure gives 2-(HYDROXYMETHYL)ALLYLTRIMETH-YLSILANE, a versatile bifunctional reagent As the acetate, it can be converted to a tnmethylenemethane-palladium complex (in situ) which undergoes [3 -(- 2] annulation reactions with electron-deficient alkenes A preparation of halide-free METHYLLITHIUM is included because the presence of lithium halide in the reagent sometimes complicates the analysis and use of methyllithium Commercial samples invariably contain a full molar equivalent of bromide or iodide AZLLENE IS a fundamental compound in organic chemistry, the preparation... 

This is consistent with a mechanism in which monomeric methyllithium in equilibrium... 

Dihydromorphinone, Cj,Hjg03N, and derivatives. Dihydromorphinone (LIII MeO HO) is formed when morphine in solution is treated with relatively large quantities of platinum or palladium catalyst under various conditions.It melts at 262-3° and yields an oxime, m.p. > 234°. The hydrochloride is the drug known as dilaudid. On 0-methyla-tion dihydromorphinone yields dihydrocodeinone (see above), and when dissolved in ether and treated with methyllithium the corresponding tertiary alcohol, 6-methyldihydromorphine, CigHggOgN, m.p. 209-211°, Wd ° 14i7° (EtOH), is formed. This on methylation with diazomethane gives 6-methyldihydrocodeine as described above (Small and Rapoport... 

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