Lithium‐Tellurium Exchange: A New Entry to Organolithium Compounds

Compounds of the type Rli , with R PhC°C, PhCH 2 Ph, CH 2  CHCH 2 , alkyl, Me 3 SiCH 2 , PhCH 2 OCH 2 , etc., can be generated in an indirect way by the route shown below. In a one‐pot procedure, the tellurides are formed directly from alkyl halides and tellurolates RTeLi. The procedure particularly valuable when conventional lithium‐halogen exchange is not possible. equation image