Methylene-azaphosphirane as a reactive intermediate.

Reaction of the transient phosphinidene complexes R-P=W(CO)5 with N-substituted-diphenylketenimines leads unexpectedly to the novel 2-aminophosphindoles, as confirmed by an X-ray crystal structure determined for one of the derivatives. Experimental evidence for a methylene-azaphosphirane intermediate was found by using the iron-complexed phosphinidene iPr2N-P=Fe(CO)4, which affords the 2-aminophosphindole together with the novel methylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[1,3]azaphosphole. Analysis of the reaction pathways with DFT indicates that the initially formed methylene-azaphosphirane yields both phosphorus heterocycles by way of a [1,5]- or [1,3]-sigmatropic shift, respectively, followed by a H-shift.

Synthesis, structures, and strain energies of dispirophosphiranes. Comparisons with dispirocyclopropanes.

Six novel dispirophosphirane complexes have been synthesized from the reaction of bicycloalkylidenes with the electrophilic phosphinidene complex PhPW(CO)(5). They contain a central phosphirane ring, which is spirofused on one side to a cyclopropane or cyclobutane ring and on the other side with a three-, four-, five-, or six-membered ring. Their crystal structures and MP2/6-31G-computed geometries for simplified parent systems suggest that spirofusion with small rings results in a tightening of the central three-membered phosphaheterocycle, while spirofusion with larger rings results in a relaxation of the phosphirane geometry.

Metal-template-directed synthesis of diphosphorus compounds through intramolecular phosphinidene additions.

Heating the nonchelating cis-bis-7-phosphanorbornadiene-[Mo(CO)4] complex (13) results in the thermal decomposition of one of the 7-phosphanorbornadiene groups. The phosphinidene thus generated adds intramolecularly to a C=C bond of the other ligand to give the novel diphosphorus complex 14. This reaction constitutes a metal-template-directed synthesis.

Addition of a phosphinidene complex to C=N bonds: P-ylides, azaphosphiridines, and 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions.

The terminal phosphinidene complex PhPW(CO)5 adds to the imine bond of PhHC=N-Ph to give 3-membered ring azaphosphiridines, which undergo ring-expansion with an additional imine to yield a set of four isomeric five-membered ring diazaphospholanes. Treatment with the diimines PhHC=N-(CH2)n-N=CHPh (n=2,3,4) results instead-in all three cases-in only a single isomer of the (CH2)n bridged diazaphospholane. For n=2 or 3, this aminal group is easily hydrolyzed to afford new 6- and 7-membered ring heterocycles.

Reaction of a complexed phosphinidene with 2,4,6-tri-tert-butyl-1,3,5-triphosphabenzene.

The terminal phosphinidene complex PhPW(CO)5 reacts with 2,4,6-tri-tert-butyl-1,3,5-triphosphabenzene to give two unexpected multicyclic organophosphorus compounds. One of them results from an initial 1,2-addition, followed by an intramolecular rearrangement. B3LYP/6-31G* calculations on simplified parent systems suggest that the reaction follows a unique concerted reaction pathway.