Organolithium reagents are sensitive to moisture and thus should be handled under inert atmosphere in anhydrous conditions. Tetrahydrofuran is the most common solvent employed for lateral lithiation reactions. Measurement of the concentration of commercial or prepared alkyllithium solutions may be accomplished using well-established titration methods.
A useful indicator for the progress of lateral lithiations is the color of the reaction mixture. Benzyllithium compounds range in color from red to deep purple, and in many cases the lack of a color change upon addition of an organolithium reagent to the substrate may indicate the presence of an undesired proton source in solution.