Dimethylmagnesium
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Like other dialkylmagnesium compounds, dimethylmagnesium is prepared by adding dioxane to a solution of methylmagnesium halide:
- 2 CH3MgX + 2 dioxane ⇌ (CH3)2Mg + MgX2(μ-dioxane)2↓
In such procedures, the dimethylmagnesium exists as the ether adduct, not the polymer.
Addition of 1,4-dioxane causes precipitation of solid MgX2(μ-dioxane)2, a coordination polymer. This precipitation drives the Schlenk equilibrium toward (CH3)2Mg. Related methods have been applied to other dialkylmagnesium compounds.
Dimethylmagnesium can also be prepared by combining dimethylmercury and magnesium.
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Properties
The structure of this compound has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The material is a polymer with the same connectivity as silicon disulfide, featuring tetrahedral magnesium centres, each surrounded by bridging methyl groups. The Mg-C distances are 224 pm.
Related compounds
The linear chain structure seen for dimethylmagnesium is also observed for diethylmagnesium and dimethylberyllium. Di(tert-butyl)magnesium is however a dimer.