As a primary
haloalkane, it is prone to
SN2 type reactions. It is commonly used as an
alkylating agent. When combined with
magnesium metal in dry
ether, it gives the corresponding
Grignard reagent. Such reagents are used to attach butyl groups to various substrates. 1-Bromobutane is the precursor to
n-butyllithium: : 2 Li + C4H9X → C4H9Li + LiX : where X = Cl, Br The lithium for this reaction contains 1-3% sodium. When bromobutane is the precursor, the product is a homogeneous solution, consisting of a mixed cluster containing both LiBr and LiBu.
1-Fluorobutane can be obtained by reacting 1-bromobutane with
potassium fluoride in
ethylene glycol. ==See also==