Introduction
Butyl lithium is widely used in organic synthesis as a strong base.
Butyl lithium handling require extreme caution due to its pyrophoric and reactive in nature.
Commercially Available:
Butyl lithium Commercially avaliable in various concentrations, commonly ranging from 1.0M to 2.5M solutions in organic solvents like ether, hexane etc.
Packing and Storage:
It is pack under inert atmosphere like argon,nitrogen.
Avoid contact with the air or moisture which could lead to degradation.
Butyl lithium should be store at low temperature (typically 2 to 8°C temperature) to maintain the stability.
Calculations:
If we have 1.6M Butyl lithium in Hexane, and we required 25 gm Butyl lithium for reaction, then how much Butyl lithium soln. we should use?
Molecular wt. Of Butyl Lithium = 64.06,
Means,64.06 gm Butyl lithium present in 1000ml hexane = 1M solution.
102.49 gm Butyl lithium in 1000ml hexane = 1.6M solution.
Means, 102.49gm butyl lithium present in 1000ml hexane,
Then, 25gm Butyl lithium present in 243.9ml solution.
For 25gm Butyl lithium we can use 243.9ml solution.
Precaution:
Butyl lithium handle with extreme precation.
Before start work, area should be well ventilated preferably in fume hoods.
Wear personal protective equipments including chemical resistant gloves, lab-coat, safety goggles’ etc.
Commonly alcohols (like methanol), water use for quenching the butyl lithium at low temperature.
The choice of quenching agent depends on the specific reaction and condition.
Always refer quenching protocols provided by the chemical suppliers or safety data sheets for Butyl lithium
