Organolithium compounds, discovery

The discovery, at the end of the 1970s [24], of a remarkably unreactive solution of a tertiary organolithium compound was the start of an interesting expansion of Li-Barbier chemistry. 

Under this heading, complexes of boron and the third group metals are considered first because they are in general less complicated than coordination complexes of second group metals. The co-ordination chemistry of the organic compounds of the alkali metals is mostly of recent discovery, and is concerned almost entirely with complexes of organolithium compounds these are considered last. 

When vinyl- or a-alkoxyalkyltin compounds are exposed to alkyllithium, unique hn-hfhium exchange occurs, conveniently generating organolithium species that are otherwise difficult to obtain. Although it is a long time since the discovery of these procedures by Seyferth [2] and ShU [3], respechvely, their usefulness has never faded. Recent apphcahons will be covered in Sechon 12.3. 

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