ABSTRACT
Organometallic chemistry deals with compounds in which one or more carbon atoms are attached to a metal. Organometallic chemistry dates back to the mid1800s, when Frankland discovered the ethyl and methyl derivatives of zinc, tin, and mercury. Thereafter, organic transformations based on organometallic compounds continually increased. The eld of organometallic chemistry is subdivided into two recognizable areas dened by the type of metal bonded to carbon. One area involves compounds containing the main group elements such as the alkali and alkaline earth metals, and the more metallic elements in the zinc, boron, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen vertical groups in the periodic table. In these compounds, the carbon is usually
7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 191 7.1.1 Organolithium Compounds .............................................................. 192
7.1.2 Organozinc Compounds ................................................................... 198 7.1.2.1 Synthesis ............................................................................ 198 7.1.2.2 Reactions ............................................................................ 199
References .............................................................................................................. 212
bound to the metallic element by an ionic or relatively simple σ-bond. Examples include Grignard reagents, organolithium reagents, tetraethyl lead, hexadentate or tetradentate ligands, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and other compounds used routinely in the laboratory and in the chemical industry (Coates and Wade 1967). The other area includes compounds containing transition-metal elements in which a number of general compound classes may be recognized.
