302120

n-Butyllithium solution

2.0 M in cyclohexane

• Synonym(s): n-BuLi, Butyl lithium, Butyllithium solution, Lithium-1-butanide
• Linear Formula: CH₃(CH₂)₃Li
• CAS Number: 109-72-8
• Molecular Weight: 64.06
• Beilstein: 1209227
• MDL number: MFCD00009414
• UNSPSC Code: 12352103
• PubChem Substance ID: 24858234
• NACRES: NA.22

Properties

• form: liquid
• Quality Level: 200
• concentration: 2.0 M in cyclohexane
• bp: 80 °C
• density: 0.775 g/mL at 25 °C
• storage temp.: 2-8°C
• SMILES string: [Li]CCCC
• InChI: 1S/C4H9.Li/c1-3-4-2;/h1,3-4H2,2H3;
• InChI key: MZRVEZGGRBJDDB-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Description

General description

n-Butyllithium (n-BuLi) is an organolithium reagent widely used as a strong base (superbase) in organic synthesis for the preparation of various chemical intermediates. It is also used as a reagent for lithium-halogen exchange and lithium-metal transmetalation reactions. n-BuLi is capable of lithiating carbon acids.

Application

n-Butyllithium (2.0 M in cyclohexane) can be used as:      

• A polymerization initiator to synthesize polystyrenes by anionic polymerization of styrene.      
• A strong base in the diastereoselective alkylation reactions.
• A reagent to synthesize 2-benzoylpyrroles by reacting benzaldehydes with di(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)zirconium(IV) chloride complex.

Packaging

The 25 mL Sure/Seal^™ bottle is recommended as a single-use bottle. Repeated punctures will likely result in decreased performance of product.

Legal Information

Sure/Seal is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC

Safety Information

• Flash Point(F): -0.4 °F - closed cup
• Flash Point(C): -18 °C - closed cup
• Personal Protective Equipment: dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves