SEC-BUTYLLITHIUM Property

Density 

0.769 g/mL at 25 °C

Flash point:

1 °F

storage temp. 

2-8°C

form 

Liquid

color 

Clear colorless

Sensitive 

Air & Moisture Sensitive

BRN 

3587206

Exposure limits

ACGIH: TWA 100 ppm
OSHA: TWA 300 ppm(1050 mg/m3)
NIOSH: IDLH 1300 ppm; TWA 300 ppm(1050 mg/m3)

InChIKey

VATDYQWILMGLEW-UHFFFAOYSA-N

CAS DataBase Reference

598-30-1(CAS DataBase Reference)

EPA Substance Registry System

Lithium, (1-methylpropyl)- (598-30-1)

Safety

Hazard Codes 

F,C,N

Risk Statements 

11-15-17-34-50/53-65-67-66-51/53-14/15

Safety Statements 

26-36/37/39-43-45-60-61-62-33-16

RIDADR 

UN 3394 4.2/PG 1

WGK Germany 

2

F 

1-10

TSCA 

Yes

HazardClass 

4.3

PackingGroup 

I

HS Code 

29319090

Hazard and Precautionary Statements (GHS)

Symbol(GHS)

Signal word

Danger

Hazard statements

H225Highly Flammable liquid and vapour

H250Catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air

H252Self-heating in large quantities; may catch fire

H260In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously

H304May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways

H314Causes severe skin burns and eye damage

H318Causes serious eye damage

H336May cause drowsiness or dizziness

H400Very toxic to aquatic life

H410Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects

Precautionary statements

P210Keep away from heat/sparks/open flames/hot surfaces. — No smoking.

P222Do not allow contact with air.

P223Keep away from any possible contact with water, because of violent reaction and possible flash fire.

P231+P232Handle under inert gas. Protect from moisture.

P303+P361+P353IF ON SKIN (or hair): Remove/Take off Immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse SKIN with water/shower.

P305+P351+P338IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continuerinsing.

P370+P378In case of fire: Use … for extinction.

P422Store contents under …

SEC-BUTYLLITHIUM Chemical Properties,Usage,Production

Description

sec-Butyllithium. [598-30-1], sec-C4H9Li, Mr 64.06, is a spontaneously flammable, colorless, viscous liquid that forms tetramers in hydrocarbon solvents. It is commercially available only as 12 % solution in cyclohexane and methylcyclohexane. sec-Butyllithium is more nucleophilic and decomposes more readily than n-butyllithium. A 12 % solutionin cyclohexane at 20 ℃ undergoesthermal decomposition to the extent of 1.4 % of the active material per month. The thermal decomposition yields butene gas and LiH; the latter is insoluble and responsible for the increasing turbidity of secbutyllithium solutions on prolonged storage. Therefore solutions of sec-butyllithium must be kept cool during storage and transportation.

Chemical Properties

sec-Butyllithium is a colorless crystalline solid or clear yellowish solution. It is more reactive than n-butyllithium. Its solutions are unstable and decompose about 10 to 15 times as fast as n-butyllithium under the same conditions.

Uses

sec-Butyllithium is used almost exclusively as a polymerization catalyst. It is more expensive than n-butyllithium and is used mainly because of its greater reactivity and faster polymerization initiation.

Preparation

sec-Butyllithium is produced by the reaction of sec-butyl chloride with lithium metal dispersion in hydrocarbon solvents. The lithium metal should contain catalytic amounts of up to 2 % sodium metal to attain a rapid reaction with the chloride and to minimize coupling. Massive substitution of sodium metal for lithium metal as is done in the preparation of n-butyllithium results in lower yields. Isopentane, hexane and cyclohexahe are typical solvents. Industrial and laboratory preparations are similar.