Cerium chloride is the main raw material for the preparation of rare earth cerium by electrolysis and metal thermal reduction. Rare earth ammonium sulfate is dissolved in sodium hydroxide, oxidized by air, and leached with dilute hydrochloric acid. It can be used in the field of metal corrosion prevention.
The application of cerium chloride in organic synthesis and pharmaceutical intermediates has attracted more and more attention. As we all know, the nucleophilic addition reaction between Grignard reagent or organolithium and carbonyl group is an important step in organic synthesis and is widely used, but it is usually accompanied by alkylation, reduction, condensation and α, and the occurrence of side reactions such as conjugated addition of β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones affects the yield of adduct products. Addition prevents these side reactions, increases yields, and shortens reaction times. Because Ce3+ has a strong oxygen affinity, it is easier to bind to the oxygen atom on the carbonyl group than Li or Mg, and the alkalinity of the organocerium reagent is lower than that of organolithium and Grignard reagent, so it is easy to coordinate the carbonyl group with the carbonyl oxygen, which is conducive to the addition reaction of the nucleophile and the carbonyl group. As a result, organocerium can react with highly hindered aldehydes and ketones to form the corresponding alcohols. Various alcohols can be synthesized in this way.
In the presence of anhydrous CeCl3, alkyl, naphthenyl, aryl, heterocyclic aryl and α, β-unsaturated substituted acylsilane can react with vinyl magnesium bromide without side reactions. With the industrialization of cerium chloride preparation process, it shows good application prospects in the field of organic synthesis and pharmaceutical intermediates. It can promote a variety of organic reactions and have applications in organic synthesis and the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates. The addition of Grignard reagent or organolithium prevents side reactions of carbonyl nucleophilic addition, increasing yield and selectivity. Many alcohols can be synthesized in this way. Organocerium can also react with nitrile to give tertiary methylamine products. It has potential application value in organic synthesis.