High atom-economical one-pot synthesis of secondary phosphines and their borane complexes using recycling phosphorus donor reagent

Mechanistic Insights and Synthetic Explorations of the Photoredox-Catalyzed Activation of Halophosphines

The light-driven activation of halophosphines R2PX (R = alkyl- or aryl, X = Cl, Br) by an IrIII-based photocatalyst is described. It is shown that initially formed secondary phosphines R2PH react readily with the remaining R2PX in a parent-child reaction to form diphosphines R2P-PR2. Aryl-containing diphosphines can be further reduced to secondary phosphines RAr2PH under identical photoredox conditions. Dihalophosphines RPX2 are also activated by the photoredox protocol, giving rise to unusual 3-, 4-, and 5-membered cyclophosphines. Transient absorption studies show that the excited state of the Ir photocatalyst is reductively quenched by the DIPEA (N,N-di-iso-propylethylamine) electron donor. Electron transfer to R2PX is however unexpectedly slow and cannot compete with recombination with the oxidized donor DIPEA•+. As DIPEA is not a perfectly reversible donor, a small proportion of the total IrII population escapes recombination, providing the reductant for the observed transformations.

Synthesis and Ambiphilic Reactivity of Metalated Diorgano-Phosphonite Boranes

Unprecedented metalated phosphonite boranes were prepared from PH‐substituted precursors and silyl amides. Although potassium derivatives were thermally stable and could even be isolated and structurally characterised, lithiated analogues proved to be unstable towards self‐condensation under cleavage of LiOR at ambient temperature. Reaction studies revealed that the metalated phosphonite boranes exhibit ambiphilic character. Their synthetic potential as nucleophilic building blocks was demonstrated in the synthesis of the first stannylated phosphonite representing a new structural motif in phosphine chemistry.

Intramolecular Nucleophilic Substitution of ω-Haloalkylphosphine Derivatives

ω-Haloalkylphosphine derivatives undergo the intramolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction upon treatment with a strong base, yielding either cycloalkylphosphine derivatives or heterocyclic phosphine derivatives. The selectivity of the cyclization of (ω-haloalkyl)alkylarylphosphine derivatives depends strongly on the distance between the electrophilic and nucleophilic carbon atoms and the structure of the phosphorus moiety. The desymmetrization of dimethylphenylphosphine sulfide followed by haloalkylation and cyclization led to the enantiomerically enriched tertiary phosphine sulfide, possessing a cyclohexyl fragment at the phosphorus.

Reactivity Studies on a Diazadiphosphapentalene

The reactivity of diazadiphosphapentalene 1 towards various substrates was investigated. Reaction of 1 with ammonia-borane resulted in transfer hydrogenolysis concomitantly with the cleavage of a P-N bond. By treatment of 1 with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO), oxidation took place at one of the phosphorus atoms of 1, and a P(V) /P(III) mixed-valence derivative was isolated. At the same time, it was demonstrated that only one of the phosphorus atoms in 1 behaves as an electron donor for electrophiles and Lewis acids. The former afforded an intramolecularly coordinated phosphine-phosphenium species, whereas the latter demonstrates the ligand property of 1. UV irradiation induced rearrangement of 1 into another example of another diazadiphosphapentalene.

Diastereoselective desymmetrization of diarylphosphinous acid-borane amides under Birch reduction

Treatment of diarylphosphinous acid-borane amides possessing chiral amido functionality with an alkali metal solution in liquid ammonia induced a preferential dearomatization of one aryl substituent at phosphorus leading to the formation of non-equimolar amounts of diastereomers. Diastereoselectivity of dearomatization depends strongly on the structure of a chiral auxiliary.