methyllithium

Chemical compound

Chemical compoundtype of chemical entityQ413849

Formula: LiCH₃
1
Sources
1.Stated in PubChem
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Mass: 22.0395 Da

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Methyllithium is the simplest organolithium reagent, with the empirical formula LiCH3. This s-block organometallic compound adopts an oligomeric structure both in solution and in the solid state. This highly reactive compound, invariably used in solution with an ether as the solvent, is a reagent in organic synthesis as well as organometallic chemistry. Operations involving methyllithium require anhydrous conditions, because the compound is highly reactive towards water. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are also incompatible with MeLi. Methyllithium is usually not prepared, but purchased as a solution in various ethers.

Overview

Chemistry

Computed by PubChem CID 2724049 (NIH) · Public domain

Molecular formula: CH3Li
Molecular weight: 22 g/mol
IUPAC name: lithium carbanide
SMILES: [Li+].[CH3-]
InChIKey: IHLVCKWPAMTVTG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Topological polar surface area: 0 Å²
H-bond donors / acceptors: 0 / 1
Complexity: 2

Chemistry

All data

33 statements · 30% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Canonical SMILES: [Li]C
Members / parts: lithium
carbon
hydrogen
Subclass of: chemical compound

On other databases

22 identifiers linking methyllithium across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

30%

externally sourced

Source last edited June 19, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). methyllithium (Q413849). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/methyllithium-Q413849