TMEDA lithium alkyls solubilized

Amorphous alkali metal alkyls such as BuNa are typically insoluble in common solvents, but are solubilized by the chelating ligand TMEDA (18.1). Addition of this ligand may break down the aggregates of lithium alkyls to give lower nuclearity complexes, e.g. [ BuLi-TMEDA]2,... 

Amorphous alkali metal alkyls such as "BuNa are typically insoluble in common solvents, but are solubilized by the chelating ligand TMEDA (23.1). Addition of this ligand may break down the aggregates of lithium alkyls to give lower nuclearity complexes, e.g. ["BuLi TMEDA]2, 23.2. However, detailed studies have revealed that this system is far from simple, and under different cmiditions, it is possible to isolate crystals of either ["BuLi-TMEDA]2 or [("BuLi)4 TMEDAjoo (Fig. 23.3). In the case of (MeLi)4, the addition of TMEDA does not lead to cluster breakdown, and an X-ray diffraction study of (MeLi)4 2TMEDA confirms the presence of tetramers and amine molecules in the solid state. 

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