Safety
Alkyl-lithium compounds are stored under inert gas to prevent loss of activity and for reasons of safety. n-BuLi reacts violently with water:
- C4H9Li + H2O → C4H10 + LiOH
BuLi also reacts with CO2 to give lithium pentanoate:
- C4H9Li + CO2 → C4H9CO2Li
Read more about this topic: N-Butyllithium
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