Organolead Compound - Reactive Intermediates

Reactive Intermediates

Organolead compounds form a variety of reactive intermediates such as lead free radicals:

Me₃PbCl + Na (77 K) → Me₃Pb.

and plumbylenes, the lead carbene counterparts:

Me₃Pb-Pb-Me₃ →

+ (Me₃Pb)₂ → Me₃Pb-Pb(Me)₂-PbMe₃

Me₃Pb-Pb(Me)₂-PbMe₃ → Pb(0) + 2 Me₄Pb

These intermediates break up by disproportionation.

Plumbylidines of the type RPb (formally Pb(I)) are ligands to other metals in L_nMPbR compounds (compare to carbon metal carbynes).