No-Tin Reagents

Major drawbacks of tris(trimethylsilyl)silane relative to tri-n-butyltin hydride, however, are the cost of the reagent, the need to handle the reagent under argon and the propensity of the tris(trimethysilyl)silyl radical to add to multiple bonds. Many other silicon and germanium hydrides, as well as sulfur, selenium, and phosphorous radical transfer reagents have been investigated as tin hydride alternatives and while many have niche applications, none so far have the flexibihty or range of apphcations of tin hydrides.  

Anastas and J.C. Warner, Green Chemistry Theory and Practice, OUP, Oxford, 1998. 

Motherwell and D. Crich, Eree Radical Chain Reactions in Organic Synthesis, Academic Press, London, 1992, Chapter 3. 

Although diaUcyltin coumpounds are reported to have a neurotoxic effect in brain cells at levels of 30 ppb S.D. Richardson, Anal. Chem., 76, 3337 (2004). 

Arakawa and O. Wada in Metal ions in Biological Systems, H. Sigel and A. Sigel (Eds), Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 101, 1993. 

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