2/26/2011 - Synthesis of Tetraethyllead

   Again, I apologize for the delay in posting due to my ailments, but I shall remain posting in the theme of organometallic history.  Just as a disclaimer, most of the information for these posts I have been gathering from Elshenbroich and Salzer's Organometallics 2^nd Eddition.  Following this chronology brings us to two other chemists studying in 1852, Carl Jacob Löwig (discoverer of the element bromine) and Eduard Schweizer.  While studying lead organometallics in Zürich, they became the first to prepare tetraethyllead by using ethyliodide and an allow of Sodium and Lead (much like the Frankland synthesis).

4NaPb + 4(C₂H₅) → (C₂H₅)₄Pb + 4Na + 3Pb

   Following this synthesis they continued to produce (C₂H₅)₃Sb and (C₂H₅)₃Bi