Synthesis of Metal Chalcogenolates

The starting material is always the chalcogenol and, consequently, is more used for thiols than selenols and tellurols. There are several types of reactions depending if the starting materials are metal hydrides (hydrogen elimination), complexes with M C (alkane elimination), M-N (transamination), or M-O (hydrolysis) bonds. 

Hydrogen elimination is mainly used with sodium and potassium hydrides 

Alkane elimination is readily used for lithium and magnesium organometallic compounds 

Transamination is used for alkaline earth elements and also for early transition metals when the amide complexes are available 

Hydrolysis is less common and always that the M(OR) complexes are available M(OR ) + nHER - M(ER) + nHOR (4) 

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