Polyfunctional lithium organometallics for organic synthesis

Abstract

Multifunctional organic molecules can be achieved by reacting functionalized organolithium compounds with electrophilic reagents, this fact making these intermediates of relevant interest in synthetic organic chemistry. Another remarkable fact concerning organolithium compounds, compared with other organometallic compounds, is that they can be prepared following a great number of diferent methodologies: hydrogen-lithium exchange (deprotonation), halogen-lithium exchange, transmetallation reactions, carbon-heteroatom bond cleavage and carbolithiation of multiple carbon-carbon bonds. However, the highly ionic character of the carbon-lithium bond makes these compounds extremely reactive and also unstable, so the synthetic processes should be carried out in some cases under very mild reaction conditions.