Organolead production

Finely-divided lead metal is also reactive with alkyl halides and other alkyl esters to form R4Pb 161.240), The reaction of lead metal with ethyl iodide was reported by Cahours 62,63) to give an organolead product, at about the same time as Lowig published his papers. The reaction with ethyl chloride has been considered as a way of utilizing the by-product lead metal from the NaPb-C2H5Cl reaction, but it has not been commercialized because it requires an iodine catalyst and because two thirds of the lead metal is converted to lead(II) chloride, according to ... 

Organolead production is the second most extensive user of lead and is the major source of atmospheric lead pollution, about 98% of contamination coming from this source (Lin Fu, 1979). Associated Octel, the sole producer of alkyllead in the UK, is the largest manufacturer in the world outside the United States. In the UK, 60 000 tonnes of lead are used annually in tetraalkyl lead production, of which over 80% is exported. The remainder is added to petrol for the home market, of which 7000 tonnes are emitted as fine particles from the exhausts of cars. This can be compared with the atmospheric release... 

At least one of the organolead compounds has been shown to be a normal constituent of the aqueous environment. Tetramethyl lead has been found as a product of anaerobic bacterial metabolism in lake sediments [23]. It should perhaps be sought in the air over coastal mud flats. 

The major organolead compounds found in the environment are the tetraalkyllead compounds and their di- and trialkyl decomposition products. Elevated levels of tetraalkyl-leads have two possible sources either (i) anthropogenic leaded petroleum inputs or (ii) environmental methylation of natural lead compounds. While the former is well established, the latter is the subject of some controversy in the literature. Interest in the environmental methylation process derives from the increased toxicity of methyllead compounds compared to their inorganic analogs. 

In the last few years, the interest in organolead(rv) compounds has moved from preparative aspects more to the analytical detection of such compounds or their decomposition products. On the other hand, the synthesis and characterization of low-valent organolead compounds has experienced an impressive increase numerous remarkable results have been achieved, and these constitute the major part of this survey. 

Organolead compounds may be detected by turning off the heating to the thermionic source and running in the FTID mode. In this mode, the combustion of organolead compounds lead to long-lived negative-ion products which are detected at the TID collector. 

Production of organolead antiknock substances. A survey (1980). In series Elementorganic compounds and their application. NUTEKhim Moscow, [in Russian]... 

In 1932, Austin680 used for the first time organolithium compounds for the synthesis of organoleads. He reported that the reaction of ArLi with PbCl2 led to A Pb. Further heating of the latter led to products such as A Pb, A PbPbA and pb680,1180,1181. 

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