Question

If sec-butyllithium in DCl, D₂O reacts it can either react with the deuterium oxide or the deuterium chloride. I was wondering if it would prefer one over the other, will there be a greater yield of Li(OD) or LiCl as an inorganic biproduct, or which path is more energetically favorable?

Answer 1

Due to the large difference in electronegativity between the carbon atom and the lithium atom, the C-Li bond is highly ionic. This extremely polar nature of the C-Li bond makes organolithium reagents good nucleophiles and strong bases. For laboratory organic synthesis, many organolithium reagents are commercially available in solution form. These reagents are highly reactive, sometimes pyrophoric.

That's why it eacts violently with H2O and other protic solvents.

and there would be a greater yield as we used  Li(OD) or LiCl as an inorganic biproduct.

So, it is all about the given question . Thank you :)