Tetralithiomethane
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Through Carbon, Methane and Hydrolysis
Production
Its main route of production is by the lithiation of tetrakis(chloromercurio)methane (C(HgCl)4) by tert-butyllithium. It can also be produced by the reaction of lithium metal and carbon tetrachloride at 900 °C:
- 8 Li + CCl4 → CLi4 + 4 LiCl
However, this method also produces byproducts, such as lithium carbide.
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Reactions
Tetralithiomethane hydrolyzes vigorously in contact with water producing methane gas and lithium hydroxide:
- CLi4 + 4 H2O → CH4 + 4 LiOH
Deuterated methane CD4 can also be produced by reacting heavy water with tetralithiomethane.
- CLi4 + 4 D2O → CD4 + 4 LiOD
When tetralithiomethane is heated to 225 °C, it decomposes to lithium carbide and lithium metal.
Due to the known affinity of lithium ions Li+ for hydrogen molecules H2 and therefore potential applications in hydrogen storage materials, tetralithiomethane has been studied computationally for its aggregation, H2 affinity, and binding to various graphene-type surfaces.