Photoinduced Alkyl Group Exchange of Ethylzinc Alkoxides: X-Ray Crystal Structure of an Iodomethylzinc Methoxide.

Irradiation of a solution of ethyl zinc alkoxides and CH2I2 leads to clean formation of iodomethylzinc alkoxides; these intermediates are important species generated in stereoselective cyclopropanation processes; no alkyl group exchange is observed in the absence of irradiation; the solid-state structure of (MeO)8Zn7(CH2I)6 is also reported.