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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

A Protocol for Safe Lithiation Reactions Using Organolithium Reagents
Published on: November 12, 2016
Deprotonative metalation of functionalized aromatics using mixed lithium-cadmium, lithium-indium, and lithium-zinc
Katia Snégaroff1, Jean-Martial L'Helgoual'ch, Ghenia Bentabed-Ababsa
1Chimie et Photonique Moléculaires, UMR 6510 CNRS-Université de Rennes 1, Bâtiment 10A, Case 1003, Campus Scientifique de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France.
Abstract:
In situ mixtures of CdCl(2)TMEDA (0.5 equiv; TMEDA = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) or InCl(3) (0.33 equiv) with [Li(tmp)] (tmp = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidino; 1.5 or 1.3 equiv, respectively) were compared with the previously described mixture of ZnCl(2)TMEDA (0.5 equiv) and [Li(tmp)] (1.5 equiv) for their ability to deprotonate anisole, benzothiazole, and pyrimidine. [(tmp)(3)CdLi] proved to be the best base when used in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature, as demonstrated by subsequent trapping with iodine. The Cd-Li base then proved suitable for the metalation of a large range of aromatics including benzenes bearing reactive functional groups (CONEt(2), CO(2)Me, CN, COPh) or heavy halogens (Br, I), and heterocycles (from the furan, thiophene, pyrrole, oxazole, thiazole, pyridine, and diazine series). Five-membered heterocycles benefiting from doubly activated positions were similarly dideprotonated at room temperature. The aromatic lithium cadmates thus obtained were involved in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions or simply quenched with acid chlorides.
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