Butyl lithium isthe most versatile one in organic lithium compounds, which include three kindsof isomers, namely, n-butyl lithium, sec-butyl lithium, tert-butyl lithiumand  the largest application is n-butyllithium. Butyl lithium is mainly used in anionic polymerization covering therubber and plastics as initiator and make conjugated dienes, vinyl aromatichydrocarbons etc. monomers into specified linear, star, block, random ortelechelic structure polymers. Butyl lithium is also an important reagent inorganic synthesis. It can be used for the synthesis of many metal organiccompounds that are difficult by general methods and many valuable medicationsand biochemical products, such as antidepressants, cholesterol-lowering drugs,antibiotics, vitamins, pesticides, insect sex hormone and so on.

The first set of fully enclosed metal pilot plant of butyllithium was set up in 1975 in Yanshan branch of BRICI Sinopec. The invention solvesthe problems of lithium dispersion, washing, transportation, synthesis of butyllithium and separation of products, and has a complete set of techniques forsafe preparation of butyl lithium, which is identified by Beijing in 1978.     The industrial trial production wasconducted successfully in Yueyangchemical plant (now Baling Petrochemical) rubber factory in 1984.   Technical evaluation was passed through Sinopec in October1985 (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (85) Sinopec issued no. 029).At present, the technology has been transferred to Yueyang petrochemical plantand Yanshan Petrochemical synthetic rubber factory. The technology is matureand reliable, the production process is stable, no by-product, less the threewastes, no pollution and providedifferent concentration (6-20%) according to user requirements.