
Alkali metals can now be absorbed on to nano-structured silica to form stable free-flowing solids, which are much easier to handle than the alkali metals themselves. Na-SG is now available from Aldrich and can be used in a variety of chemical transformations (see www.signachem.com). A recent paper (Nandi P et al, Org Lett, 2008, 10, 5441) shows the utility of this reagent in the removal of sulphonyl protecting groups from amines.















