M-SG reducing agent

The resulting black powder material is an effective reducing agent and safe to handle as opposed to the pure metal.

The molten metal is mixed with silica gel under constant agitation at room temperature.

Compounds such as biphenyl and naphthalene are reduced by the powder and form highly coloured radical anions.

The powder can also be introduced in a column chromatography setup and eluted with organic reactants in order to probe the reducing power.

The column converts benzyl chloride to bibenzyl in a Wurtz coupling and in a similar fashion dibenzothiophene is reduced to biphenyl.