Abstract: Certain nitriles, sulfones, and related compounds have been rapidly and conveniently converted to their corresponding gem-polyalkali derivatives by means of excess n-butyllithium in THF-hexane. The relative ease of formation of the gem-dialkali salts of nitriles is attributed to a sesquiazacetylene type of structure while those of sulfones and related compounds are ascribed to d,-p, resonance interactions. Despite resonance ...
