Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
When you take organic chemistry, you learn about methyl iodide for putting on a methyl group. Eventually, though, if you stick with chemistry, you need an alkylating agent for grown-ups.
There's a lot of good ones, including dimethyl sulfate, methyl triflate (PDF), and the ever-so-toxic "magic methyl," methyl fluorosulfonate.
Part of being a grown-up, though, is settling down with an alkylating agent, and aside from the odd dirty weekend with some of the more exotic compounds, it's trialkyloxonium salts for me:
We used to have coffee together in the morning, but the methanol got to me...
Physical Science
Comments
"you need an alkylating agent for grown-ups."
I guess you're right. Time to grow up.
Posted by: Chemgeek | December 4, 2007 9:50 AM
You know, given the hazards inherent in methylating agents, I do believe you missed a chance at a primo Tarantino reference -- "when you absolutely, positively have to methylate every mofo in the room."
Posted by: Brian X | December 4, 2007 10:47 PM
there is a lovely method for making triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate in Org Syn. You just mix together BF3 etherate, dry ether and epichlorohydrin. The stuff crashes out. I did it on a 50g scale.
You get trimethyl oxonium from triethyloxhonium just by blowing dimethylether gas stream over it. The alkyls exchange, bitches...
Posted by: milkshake | December 5, 2007 4:01 PM
"Mighty Methyl" I came across this in a search for a methylating agent. Pretty nifty. http://reedgrouplab.ucr.edu/projects/methyl.html
Posted by: Vince Noir | December 11, 2007 2:00 AM
What? No methyl lithium?
Posted by: Jenkins | December 17, 2007 2:19 PM