Stable lithium diisopropylamide and method of preparation

A method of preparing a stable, nonpyrophoric lithium diisopropylamide composition comprising

• providing a mixture of lithium metal in diisopropylamine;
• and
• slowly adding to the mixture a feed solution containing an electron carrier while maintaining the mixture at a temperature of 30 to 45 degrees C. to thereby react the lithium metal and diisopropylamine and produce lithium diisopropylamide;
• and wherein said feed solution includes from 1 to 2 moles of tetrahydrofuran per mole of electron carrier.

A method of preparing a stable, nonpyrophoric solution of lithium diisopropylamide comprising

• providing a mixture of lithium metal in a solution of diisopropylamine, an inert liquid hydrocarbon solvent, and up to about one mole of tetrahydrofuran per mole of electron carrier;
• slowly adding to said mixture a feed solution comprising an electron carrier selected from the group consisting of styrene and isoprene, and tetrahydrofuran, the amount of tetrahydrofuran not exceeding about one mole per mole of electron carrier, and wherein the total tetrahydrofuran in said mixture and in said feed solution is from one to two moles per mole of electron carrier;
• and
• cooling the reaction mixture as the feed solution is added to maintain the temperature of the reaction mixture at from 30 to 45 degrees C. to thereby react the lithium metal and diisopropylamide and produce a solution of lithium diisopropylamide.

A method of preparing a stable, nonpyrophoric solution of lithium diisopropylamide comprising

• providing a mixture of lithium metal in an etherless solution comprising diisopropylamine and an inert liquid hydrocarbon cosolvent;
• slowly adding to the mixture an electron carrier selected from the group consisting of styrene and isoprene while maintaining the reaction at a temperature of 30 to 45 degrees C. to thereby react the lithium metal and diisopropylamine and produce a viscous, relatively insoluble mass containing lithium diisopropylamide;
• and
• adding to the viscous, insoluble mass tetrahydrofuran in an amount not exceeding one mole per mole of lithium diisopropylamide to thereby solubilize the lithium diisopropylamide.