In n-Butylsodium, the Na-C bond has ionic character, with a negative charge on the end carbon atom. n-Butylsodium is insoluble in saturated hydrocarbons. It reacts with unsaturated hydrocarbons.[3] Soluble adducts are produced with Lewis bases such as tetramethylethylenediamine or tetrahydrofuran.[2]
^ abcSchade, Christian; Bauer, Walter; Von Ragué Schleyer, Paul (November 1985). "n-Butylsodium: The preparation, properties and NMR spectra of a hydrocarbon- and tetrahydrofuran-soluble reagent". Journal of Organometallic Chemistry. 295 (3): c25 –c28. doi:10.1016/0022-328X(85)80326-0.
^Broaddus, C. D. (September 1966). "Metalation of Toluene. The Question of Kinetic vs. Thermodynamic Control". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 88 (18): 4174–4178. doi:10.1021/ja00970a012.
^Gilman, Henry; Moore, Fred W.; Baine, Ogden (September 1941). "Secondary and Tertiary Alkyllithium Compounds and Some Interconversion Reactions with Them". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 63 (9): 2479–2482. doi:10.1021/ja01854a046.