The addition of lithium and Grignard reagents to isocyanides not containing cy hydrogens proceeds by an cy addition to produce metallo aldimines. The lithium aldimines are versatile reagents which can be used as precursors for the preparation of aldehydes, ketones, cy diketones, n-hydroxy ketones, cy-keto acids, cy-and 0-hydroxy acids, and silyl ketones.
[Baldwin, Jack E.; Adlington, Robert M.; Bottaro, Jeffrey C.; Kolhe, Jayant N.; Perry, Matthew W. D.; Jain, Ashok U. Tetrahedron, 1986 , vol. 42, # 15 p. 4223 - 4234]
