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beta-hydrogen elimination

chemistry

Quick Summary

Beta-hydrogen elimination is a chemical reaction in organometallic chemistry where a hydrogen atom on a carbon atom adjacent to a metal transfers to the metal, resulting in the formation of an alkene. This process is the reverse of hydrometallation, where an M-H bond adds to an alkene.

This reaction is common when the metal atom has accessible space. For instance, it readily occurs with trialkylaluminum compounds but not with tetraalkylsilicon compounds due to steric hindrance. Beta-hydrogen elimination is a type of elimination reaction, a process where atoms or groups are removed from a molecule, typically leading to the formation of double or triple bonds.12

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