Considerable difficulties attend the preparation of zinc-methyl. Frankland, who discovered the body, obtained it by heating pure iodide of methyl and zinc enclosed in small glass tubes. Owing to the high temperature at which reaction takes place, much gas is formed; hence the operation must be confined to very small quantities of materials.

No determination of the boiling-point, specific gravity, nor yet of the vapour density of zinc-methyl, was made by its discoverer; from which fact may be inferred how small was the product available for investigation.