@orthocresol Thanks for the reply. I have another question regarding use of grignard reagents. I was inspired by this question: chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/104856/…. Why don't grignards deprotonate alpha Hs of ketones and instead perform the nucleophilic attack on the C=O?
@TanYongBoon there’s a question about this on Chem.SE. Maybe it’s not about Grignards but rather organolithiums. I can’t remember.
I think, perhaps more importantly than whatever that answer says (if it exists), there’s a catch about Grignards: they tend to act as single-electron reductants. It’s not always accurate to think of them as just being sources of nucleophilic or basic carbanions.
There’s a fair amount of evidence that at least for some Grignards and some ketones, the ‘nucleophilic addition’ is not actually nucleophilic addition but rather a radical mechanism.
Hey, @Mart -- connection on Twitter asks: "Hi Twitter friends, anyone have chemistry connections in Japan? I’m in touch with a student who’d like to get involved in green synthesis."
If you're ok w/it and might be able to connect them somewhere, I can introduce you?
The Periodic Table
The Periodic Table