Organolithium Reaction

An organolithium is known as an organometallic compound that contains a direct bond between a carbon and a lithium atom. An example of a organolithium is shown below:


In this diagram it shows how the reagents are typically prepared by reaction of an alkyl halide with the corresponding metal. Since this mechanism uses lithium (Li), the halogen and the metal exchange to form the organolithium reagent. In addition to this, the IUPAC name of the product would be: 2-cyclopentylacetophenone. In part B this shows the organolithium being used in the reaction when the starting product is reacted with t-BuLi. With that in mind, the new c-c bonds are formed in the product that is labeled with the 2 under it. These new c-c bonds are the benzene ring that is formed as well as the ketone bond formed.