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230707

Sigma-Aldrich

n-Butyllithium solution

2.5 M in hexanes

Synonym(s):

n-BuLi, Butyl lithium, Butyllithium solution, Lithium-1-butanide

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About This Item

Linear Formula:
CH3(CH2)3Li
CAS Number:
109-72-8
Molecular Weight:
64.06
Beilstein/REAXYS Number:
1209227
MDL number:
MFCD00009414
UNSPSC Code:
12352103
PubChem Substance ID:
24853832
NACRES:
NA.22

form

liquid

Quality Level

200

concentration

2.5 M in hexanes

density

0.693 g/mL at 25 °C

storage temp.

2-8°C

SMILES string

[Li]CCCC

InChI

1S/C4H9.Li/c1-3-4-2;/h1,3-4H2,2H3;

InChI key

MZRVEZGGRBJDDB-UHFFFAOYSA-N

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General description

n-Butyllithium (n-BuLi) is an organolithium reagent commonly used as a strong base in organic synthesis. It is also used as a lithium source for a wide range of lithium bases, such as lithium amides, acetylides, and alkoxides.

Application

n-BuLi can be used as a strong base to form corresponding lithium salts by the deprotonation of nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbon acids. Heterocyclic compounds, such as furans, thiophenes, oxazoles, pyrroles, etc, can be lithiated α to the ring heteroatom using n-BuLi. These lithiated salts react in situ with alkyl halides to obtain useful organic compounds by the formation of the C-C bond. n-BuLi is also a useful reagent for lithium–halogen exchange reactions. Synthesis of various other useful reagents such as lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) and diphenylphosphine is done by in situ reaction with n-BuLi In the polymerization of dienes, n-BuLi is employed as an initiator.
The product is also used in the following reactions:      
  • Anionic rearrangement reactions      
  • Metal-halogen interchange and transmetalation reactions
  • Elimination reactions      
  • [1,2]- and [1,4]-Wittig rearrangement reaction      
  • Anionic homo-Fries rearrangement reaction      
  • Asymmetric carbolithiation

Packaging

The 25 mL Sure/Seal™ bottle is recommended as a single-use bottle. Repeated punctures will likely result in decreased performance of product.
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Legal Information

Sure/Seal is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC

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Danger

Hazard Classifications

Aquatic Chronic 2 - Asp. Tox. 1 - Eye Dam. 1 - Flam. Liq. 2 - Pyr. Liq. 1 - Repr. 2 - Skin Corr. 1B - STOT SE 3 - Water-react 1

target_organs

Central nervous system

supp_hazards

EUH014

Storage Class

4.2 - Pyrophoric and self-heating hazardous materials

wgk_germany

WGK 3

flash_point_f

-7.6 °F - closed cup

flash_point_c

-22 °C - closed cup

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

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n-Butyllithium
Ovaska TV, et al.
eEROS (Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis) (2001)
Microstructure-thermal property relationship of high trans-1, 4-poly (butadiene) produced by anionic polymerization of 1, 3-butadiene using an initiator composed of alkyl aluminum, n-butyl lithium, and barium alkoxide
Benvenuta-Tapia JJ, et al.
Polym. Eng. Sci., 49(1), 1-10 (2009)
Rhodium pincer complexes of 2, 2?-bis (diphenylphosphino) diphenylamine
Winter AM, et al.
Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 682(1-2), 149-154 (2003)
Deyu Li et al.
The Journal of organic chemistry, 73(6), 2373-2381 (2008-02-26)
A system consisting of a chiral lithium amide and n-BuLi in tol-d(8) solution was investigated with (1)H and (13)C INEPT DOSY, (6)Li and (15)N NMR, and other 2D NMR techniques. A mixed 2:1 trimeric complex was identified as the major
Jennifer L Rutherford et al.
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 124(2), 264-271 (2002-01-10)
6Li and (13)C NMR spectroscopic studies were carried out on [(6)Li]n-BuLi and [(6)Li]PhLi (RLi) in toluene-d(8) containing the following diamines: N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), N,N,N',N'-tetraethylethylenediamine, 1,2-dipyrrolidinoethane, 1,2-dipiperidinoethane, N,N,N',N'-tetramethylpropanediamine, trans-(R,R)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethylcyclohexanediamine, and (-)-sparteine. Dimers of general structure (RLi)(2)S(2) (S = chelating diamine) are formed
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