Under normal circumstances, lithium tributyltin can be considered as a whole as an alkyllithium reagent. It undergoes nucleophilic addition reactions with aldehydes and ketones to form α-hydroxytributyltin. Lithium tributyltin is also an ideal donor for Michael addition reactions, and can undergo normal Michael addition reactions with α,β-unsaturated esters.
It is usually prepared in situ prior to the reaction: by adding n-butyllithium solution dropwise to a THF solution of tributyltin hydride at -78 C, tributyltin lithium is obtained, which can be used directly in various subsequent reactions without separation and purification.
