Crystalline Organomercuric Acetates Via Organoboranes

Organomercury derivatives have found widespread use as intermediates in organic syntheses.1-4 The organomercuric halides have been used most extensively due to the ease with which they are prepared, isolated, and manipulated. 5-8 The organomercuric acetates would be expected to be more reactive than the corresponding halide derivatives9 but they have not been utilized extensively because, with the exception of the aryl derivatives, they are not readily available. Arylmercuric acetates can be prepared via electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions1O,l1 but the preparation of vinyl and alkylmercuric acetates is not as straightforward. The few known vinylmercuric acetates were prepared via transmetallation reactions12 or destructive reactions of divinylmercury reagents.9 Except in rare instances, l3,14 the alkylmercuric acetates have not been isolated but have served as intermediates in the synthesis of alkylmercuric halides.7