After a short introduction to NMR spectroscopy of alkali and alkaline earth metals the review concentrates on NMR investigations of organolithium compounds. The isotopic fingerprint method, which rests on deuterium-induced isotope shifts for 6Li resonances, is introduced and exemplified with applications from the aggregation behavior of cyclopropyllithium systems and mixed aggregate formation between methyllithium and lithium salts. In the following chapter, one- and two-dimensional pulse experiments, both for homo- and for heteronuclear spin systems are discussed. Finally, the structural aspects associated with benzyllithium are outlined and the formation of polylithium systems by lithium reduction of biphenylenes is described.
NMR; 6Li-NMR; 15N-NMR; isotope shifts; isotopic fingerprints; pulse methods; spin-spin coupling; organolithium compounds; aggregation; benzyllithium structure; pi-systems; polylithium systems; reduction
