n-Butyllithium
n-BuLi
NBL
 

Chemical formula CH3CH2CH2CH2–Li
Appearance clear, colorless to yellow solution

n-Butyllithium is a very strong base, exceedingly useful in organic synthesis. NBL has found particular utility in deprotonation and metal–halogen exchange reactions. NBL is also a very effective initiator of anionic polymerization of styrene and conjugated dienes. The synthesis of solution SBR and of styrenic thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), in particular, is facilitated by NBL. References: The Chemistry of Organolithium Compounds, ed. Zvi Rappoport and Ilan Marek, Wiley, 2004, West Sussex, England