GB824849A - Manufacture of alkyllead compounds - Google Patents

Abstract

Alkyl-lead compounds may be prepared by reacting a lead organoacid salt with a compound of formula RaMXb, where R is an alkyl group, M is a metal (and including boron) having an electrode potential of more than 0.3 volt, X is hydrogen or halogen, a is an integer, b is 0 or an integer and (a+b) is equal to the valency of M, or with the complexes of such alkyl metal compounds with alkali-metal alkyls or alkali-metal halides. Lead organo acid salts specified include lead alkanoates having 1 to 21 carbon atoms in the acid radical such as lead acetate, tetra-acetate, butyrate, formate, oxalate, stearate, palmitate and propionate; their sulphur analogues such as lead thioacetate and thioformate; aromatic compounds such as lead phenate, thiophenate, phenolsulphonate and salicylate; and lead naphthenates and resinates. The metal alkyl reagents includes those of aluminium, zinc, sodium, potassium and lithium; the alkyl group has preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Many examples are specified. Solvents such as benzene, toluene, xylene, hexanes and kerosene. If desired, the alkyl-lead compound itself may be used as the solvent. A modification of the process is described in which the organo lead salt is used sequentially with a lead oxide or sulphide which latter is used in such proportions that some but not all the alkyl groups in the compound RaMXb are reacted. A double salt of the lead organo-acid salt and the lead chalkogen may also be used. In an example pulverized dry lead acetate in toluene is reacted with triethyl aluminium under a nitrogen atmosphere. Specification 824,848 is referred to.