ABSTRACT
This chapter will show that alkyl halides react with lithium or magnesium to generate a new C-metal bond in an organomagnesium or an organolithium compound. The bond polarization is such that the carbon atom in the C-M bond of these organometallic compounds is δ-. This property leads to reactions of organolithium and organomagnesium compounds as nucleophiles as well as bases. Organolithium reagents react with cuprous salts, Cu(I), to give a different class of organometallic known as organocuprates, which react as nucleophiles with alkyl halides to give alkanes.
