Tetramethylethylene is a
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...
with the formula Me
2C=CMe
2 (Me =
methyl
In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many ...
). A colorless liquid, it is the simplest tetrasubstituted
alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond.
Alkene is often used as synonym of olefin, that is, any hydrocarbon containing one or more double bonds.H. Stephen Stoker (2015): General, Organic, an ...
.
Synthesis and reactions
It is prepared by base-catalyzed isomerization of 2,3-dimethyl-1-butene.
Tetramethylethylene forms
metal-alkene complex
In organometallic chemistry, a transition metal alkene complex is a coordination compound containing one or more alkene ligands. Such compounds are intermediates in many catalytic reactions that convert alkenes to other organic products.Elschenbro ...
es with low-valent metals and reacts with
diborane
Diborane(6), generally known as diborane, is the chemical compound with the formula B2H6. It is a toxic, colorless, and pyrophoric gas with a repulsively sweet odor. Diborane is a key boron compound with a variety of applications. It has attracte ...
to give the monoalkyborane known as
thexylborane
Thexylborane is a borane with the formula e2CHCMe2BH2sub>2 (Me = methyl). The name derives from "''t''-hexylborane" (although the group is not the standard ''tert''-hexyl group), and the formula is often abbreviated ThxBH2. A colorless liquid, ...
.
[{{cite book, doi=10.1002/9780470132593.ch22, time=Di-μ-Chloro-Bis(η4-1,5-Cyclooctadiene)-Dirhodium(I), title=Inorganic Syntheses, pages=88–90, year=1990, volume=28, last1=Giordano, first1=G., last2=Crabtree, first2=R. H., chapter=Di-μ-Chloro-Bis(η4 -1,5-Cyclooctadiene)-Dirhodium(I), isbn=9780470132593]
References
Alkenes