Metalation
Encyclopedia
Metalation is a chemical reaction
which results in a metal
atom being
attached to a (usually organic
) molecule.
Lithium
metal in contact with an organohalide lithiates the organic molecule and gives the organolithium reagent
and lithium halide. Magnesium similarly metalates organohalides to give Grignard reagents.
Protons on a molecule that are acidic, even only slightly, can be exchanged for a metal by a suitable butyllithium reagent mixture.
Transmetalation
is the exchange of two metals between organic molecules. For example, transmetalations can be accomplished by reacting an organolithium reagent with a metal salt.
Chemical reaction
A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Chemical reactions can be either spontaneous, requiring no input of energy, or non-spontaneous, typically following the input of some type of energy, such as heat, light or electricity...
which results in a metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
atom being
attached to a (usually organic
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
) molecule.
Lithium
Lithium
Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal that belongs to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is represented by the symbol Li, and it has the atomic number 3. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly...
metal in contact with an organohalide lithiates the organic molecule and gives the organolithium reagent
Organolithium reagent
An organolithium reagent is an organometallic compound with a direct bond between a carbon and a lithium atom. As the electropositive nature of lithium puts most of the charge density of the bond on the carbon atom, effectively creating a carbanion, organolithium compounds are extremely powerful...
and lithium halide. Magnesium similarly metalates organohalides to give Grignard reagents.
Protons on a molecule that are acidic, even only slightly, can be exchanged for a metal by a suitable butyllithium reagent mixture.
Transmetalation
Transmetalation
Transmetalation is a general chemical reaction type in organometallic chemistry describing the exchange of ligands between two metal centers....
is the exchange of two metals between organic molecules. For example, transmetalations can be accomplished by reacting an organolithium reagent with a metal salt.