Organotin and organolead compounds

Organotin compounds are used in antifouling agents, such as on ships and wood preservative. They are also added to PVC to prevent being degraded by the atmosphere.

Halide derivatives, R₃SnX, often contain Sn-X-Sn bridges and form chains. Bulky R groups can affect this. For example, (SnFMe₃)_n has the Sn-F-Sn backbone in a zig-zag arrangement.

Alkyltin compounds can be prepared from tetrachlorotin, using Grignard's reagent:

They can also be prepared by metathesis between chlorotin and alkyl aluminium:

Tetraethyl lead produced on a huge scale as an anti-knocking agent in petrol. It can be made using Grignard's reagent. This time producing a mole of Pb:

Like alykl silicon, alkyl lead can also be made from alkyl lithiums:

Lead can also contain bridging halide atoms, if the R groups are not too bulky.