Organoberyllium compounds reactions

In addition to magnesium, there is an extensive chemistry of organoberyllium compounds. The alkyl compounds are obtained most conveniently by the reaction of beryllium chloride with a Grignard reagent. 

Reaction of Anth Li+ with BeCla in the THF gave a polymeric crystalline organoberyllium compound, which produced 9,9 -10,10 -tetrahydro-9,9 -bianthyl on hydrolysis. The polymer was considered to be composed of units containing covalently bonded Be, e.g., (1). In contrast, Anth ,2Li+ and BeCl2 reacted to give the solvent-derived product, cw-9,10-dihydro-9,10-bis(4-hydroxybutyl)-anthracene. ... 

A thermal reaction of NHC with silane has been uncovered and corresponds formally to a silicon insertion in the C-N bond of the carbene to form a diazasilinane (Scheme 2). ° The reaction is thought to proceed through a Si-H insertion of the NHC followed by an amide transfer and a second hydrogen shift. A similar ring expansion of NHC has been reported to proceed under beryllium activation in the presence of a silane yielding an organoberyllium compound. ... 

A variety of spectroscopic techniques has made invaluable contributions to understanding the structure and reactions of organoberyllium and -magnesium compounds. In this section, general spectroscopic features will be discussed, but their applications wUl not be detailed. 

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