Herman G. Richey

Formation of organozincate species from diorganozinc compounds and salts

Stirring a benzene solution of a diorganozinc compound with an insoluble alkali metal alkoxide (MeOK or MeONa) or potassium amide (PhN(Me)K) formed a solution containing a species having a salt∶R2Zn composition of 1∶2. A salt (t-BuOK) that is soluble in benzene also forms a 1∶2 species and, when the salt to R2Zn ratio is sufficiently high, forms a 1∶1 species. Controlled heating at reduced pressure of solutions prepared from an alkali metal alkoxide and an excess of a diorganozinc compound leaves materials with alkoxide∶R2Zn ratios of 1∶2 or 1∶1. Reactions of benzene solutions of diorganozinc compounds with (p-MeC6H4)SK or Ph2PK form solutions of composition R3ZnK.

A kinetic study of additions of dialkylmagnesium compounds to a cyclopropene

Addition of dialkymagnesium compounds in tetrahydrofuran to spiro[2.4]hept-1-ene is kinetically first order in each component; at 35.5 °C, relative rates of addition of R2Mg where, ethyl, isopropyl, and t-butyl are 1, 10.3,32, and 8, respectively.