TOJC- Coaxing inert compounds to react
charlemc@plu.edu
Sat, 14 Dec 1996 13:33:14 -0800 (PST)
A few days ago I asked is there a way to activate (break) alkanes
under mild conditions? Well, I did some research and the answer is yes.
The reaction, represented in a simplified way by the equation M + C-H
----> C-M-H, amounts to insertion of a metal (M) atom in an
organometallic compound between a carbon (C) and a hydrogen (H) atom that
originally were bonded to each other. (The atoms attached to M in the
organometallic compound and to C in the alkane are not shown because they
remain unaffected by the reaction.)
Mike