• Metallation of benzotrifluoride with n-BuLi in diethyl ether is unselective, giving, on quenching with CO2, a mixture consisting largely of ortho- and meta-trifluoromethyl benzoic acids: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 68, 1658 (1946). Use of the superbasic combination of n-BuLi and KO-t-Bu was found to give regioselective ortho-metallation, leading to high yields of the ortho-acid: Synlett, 747 (1990).
• Non-chlorinated alternative solvent to dichloromethane for a variety of reactions including Swern, Dess-Martin and hydrogen peroxide oxidations, and Lewis acid promoted reactions: J. Org. Chem., 62, 450 (1997).