The cubyl anion was originally trapped in this route by the exchange of lithium for mercury. Bashir-Hashemi and Eaton developed the necessary methodology for hydrolysis of the N, N- diisopropylamide groups to give the tetraacid. This route was significantly improved by Bashir-Hashemi with the discovery that MgBr, etherate could be substituted for HgC12. 3, 4 The synthesis of the cubane tetraacid is a multistep process involving the lithiation of N, N,-
[Hutchby, Marc; Houlden, Chris E.; Gair Ford; Tyler, Simon N. G.; Gagne, Michel R.; Lloyd-Jones, Guy C.; Booker-Milburn, Kevin I. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, 2009 , vol. 48, # 46 p. 8721 - 8724]